On Lizzie No’s debut album, Hard Won, she showcased her talents as a harp playing folk singer with something to say and she then built on that foundation with her second record Vanity, creating a more ambitious, rockier sound. Her new record Halfsies is released in conjunction with Americana label Thirty Tigers, which is fitting since Lizzie has been a vocal advocate for more black women in country and folk music. Halfsies is a fantastic record which blends those genres along with some intriguing indie rock influences.
Opener title track ‘Halfsies’ begins softly but then crashes into a tumultuous wave of sound, reflecting the emotional turmoil of a relationship. The word ‘halfsies’ sounds like a light-hearted description of how to split a bill, but here she ruefully admits that she ‘should’ve gone halfsies’ in her relationship, instead of ending up alone. Other songs on the album like ‘Laguita’ and ‘Getaway Car’ have a similarly rocky emotional and musical soundscape, which keeps the album full of energy and bite.
Her folk influences are also clear throughout the record, with some gorgeous songs like ‘Done’ and ‘Mourning Dove Waltz’ offering us that direct, intimate singing style she cultivated so well on her debut.
Despite her signing with a Nashville label she doesn’t go all in on the Americana sound, preferring to see genre as a construct, a cage that she doesn’t want to be stuck inside. Still when you listen to ‘The Heartbreak Store’, a sweet Americana ballad about sharing your pain that manages to be both compassionate and wryly funny at the same time, she sounds completely at home. The video also features some line dancing and cowboy hats so that must mean she has at least considered going full yee-haw.
My other favourites on the album are the intriguing offering ‘Deadbeat’ where she’s reflecting on her relationship, determined to do ‘better than my Daddy ever did’ and ‘Annie Oakley’, which seems to be about the eternal struggle of the touring artist. She asks ‘won’t you tell me when its time to kill the dream?’ On this evidence quitting shouldn’t even be a consideration.
So load up your heartbreaks, bring them on down to Lizzie No and let her put them in a song for you. She’s got the talent, the good humour, the musical ambition and personality to go far. Don’t go ‘Halfsies’ on this one.
Highway Queens 
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