Rye Milligan is a songwriter and producer, currently working in London as an independent artist. Milligan had previously garnered attention from Spotify and BBC Radio One as the guitarist and co-songwriter in band Luna Bay, but this new project sees him take centre stage.
Hailing from Cardigan Bay, Wales, Milligan’s sound has the kind of earthy-yet-dreamy-eyed sound that feels wrapped up in the experience of moving from a small place to the big city. Together with fellow Cardigan Bay musician, friend and drummer Ceri Bain, Rye Milligan is making a uniquely British kind of music – little touches of echo and reverb shadowing the likes of Bloc Party, The xx, and Blood Orange.
Following on from debut EP _i_, Hey Mel is the first track to be released from follow-up EP _ii_, and the song is intended to be ‘a love letter of reassurance’:
“There’s someone very close to me who often doesn’t feel like they are enough. This song is basically me saying, of course you are and this is why. It’s a lot easier for me to talk openly about my feelings through songwriting, that seems to be the best way to tap into my head. I appreciate that can be both daunting and sometimes, I hope, rewarding for the people who know me best.”
It’s a heartwarming piece of music, the humanity on display in Milligan’s performance, and, in particular, his vocal, is inspiring. There is a spoken verse in the song’s second half that gives me goosebumps, “I could write a book about you, on everything that makes me laugh (…) It’s you who makes this concrete jungle safe, as we navigate the cracks, and you who makes my stomach summersault more than backstage when I hear them clap.” The lyricism on display is beautiful precisely because it feels so earnest and honest.