Tall Child innovates London’s indie pop formula on debut ‘Somehow you Grow’. – Backseat Mafia

Tall Child is the pseudonym of South-East London based songwriter Zha Ghandi, whose music and talent I’ve been aware of for a long time. They are a permanent fixture of the indie scene here, playing constantly in multiple different acts but all the while building up a repertoire of their own.

I’ve watched the material of this new EP: ‘Somehow you Grow’ coalesce through many iterations of beautiful, personal and engaging live performances Tall Child has gigged throughout recent years, so I was incredibly excited to see a longer release. For the uninitiated, the sound has a base of modern indie pop in the vein of Mitski, with a more fun, free-flowing ear for production aesthetic.

What you end up with is exemplified right from the start with the song ‘Stupid Body’ which has a grungier, heavier centre mashed up with synth mellotron and sweet vocal harmonies throughout. The lyrics aren’t melodramatic or austere, just directly introspective. You get a sense of this lyrical voice that feels quite specific to Tall Child, idiomatic and frank in a way I really enjoyed throughout this EP. 

I am someone who loves an economical but sincere songwriter, and this EP is full of this quite richly realised perspective with not much in the way of filler. Thematically consistent, you get the breadth of what Tall Child finds in others and themselves that forms the resilience needed for growth. Conducive to this is the track ‘All or Nothing’ which starts off demure and heartfelt in a Cate Le Bon kind of way, with warm synth textures that leads a minimal throughline to what ends up being an emotionally raw track.

Credit goes to the vocal performances throughout the whole EP, but I think this song had the best in terms of Tall Child’s ability. The stark way that their voice projects into the last couple of bars of this song adds so much weight to their sound, and I have found myself skipping back to this exact moment over and over since first hearing the project. 

This EP is for someone who’s looking for a new take on the formula of London indie pop. It’s evocative but at the same time not entirely self-serious to the point of parody. I think the core strengths of this release are based on its songwriting, with clear and memorable hooks that stuck in my head consistently from the first listen. The path is pretty open for the project as a whole, as Tall Child seems pretty set on production choices that never pigeonhole them into a single core category or sound.

‘Somehow you Grow’ is a release that is a modern, mature take on what would’ve been considered: sad girl indie a few years ago. I’m happy to hear the work of an artist who can express individuality in this medium and build an EP that is emotionally complex and unique. If you are in the London area and see Tall Child on any poster, I’d highly recommend getting to see them play, as they are an amazing talent to see live and now you have the chance to learn all the lyrics beforehand.

‘Somehow you Grow’ is out now on Sad Club Records, and is available to purchase digitally via the artist’s bandcamp . Tall Child is playing a free release show on the 31st of July at the Shacklewell Arms, tickets available here.

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