The third single in Kate Ellis's run up to her second album "Spirals" sees her developing both her sound and outlook to new levels with "Wonderland". The opening two singles have been personal on one level but this is Kate pleading for the world and her depth of feeling and frustration is obvious from the opening lines
"My hearts aching
Every inch of me is shaking
To see the beauty that we are breaking
Our wonderland"
Those opening lines come with the gentlest of backing, a mandolin, some guitar and keyboards giving no hint of the explosion of sound that awaits it - "Wonderland" builds a marvelous anthemic soundscape that just explodes around your ears.
Kate paints a grim vision of "Fields turned to dust", "we're all going up in smoke" and tries to highlight that this planet we live on is a "Wonderland". The cover shows her staring out at our plastic polluted sea. and she cuts a solitary silhouette in the twilight.
Perfectly timed to coincide with the forthcoming Climate Change talks, Kate is sending out a message for us all. This is undoubtedly as stirring a tune as Kate has ever fronted - each time as it builds to the chorus it has the purposeful swagger akin to Dylan on "Like a Rolling Stone", it is that emotional a connection that it makes.
The anticipation for Kate's new album at the #TEAmw21 offices has certainly reached fever pitch!.