‘A romp in the astral realm’, review: ‘Metchu’, HEIGHTS

Kate Bowie catches up with dream-pop artiste, Chelsie, AKA: HEIGHTS.

Look, I’ll be the first to say I love the eclectic indie pop that the Brighton DIY scene is so good at pumping out, á la Lime Garden and Hutch. But sometimes, when the day’s been long and the weather’s this hot, you need something a little more relaxing. That’s where dream-pop aficionados like HEIGHTS come in.

Chelsie (aka: HEIGHTS) has been providing listeners with lo-fi synths and illusory vocals since 2019, with the release of her first single, ‘Let Me Show You’. ‘I started writing when I was 14,’ she tells me, ‘but as you can expect from someone of that age it was the cheesiest kind of pop music imaginable. I began developing my sound more seriously when I got to uni, trying out a bunch of different styles and projects, but it was in 2019 that I began HEIGHTS. I’ve been releasing under that moniker ever since.’

Since then she’s released her debut album, ‘LMSY’, which she describes as ‘five silly songs from a silly girl with silly emotions but I hope there’s something in there for anybody who listens’. While that’s what Chelsie herself might think of it, ‘LMSY’ is anything but silly. Her tracks serve a dual function, with listeners given the choice of either listening to her contemplative lyrics, or loosing themselves to her delicate production and falling into their own introspective holes.

Released just last month, her new single ‘Metchu’ is another opportunity to romp in the astral realm her discography has already built. Chelsie explains that ‘lyrically, ‘Metchu’ is basically that classic cliche of ‘love comes when you least expect it’, the glow you get when something great finds you and then keeping hold of it and never wanting to let it go.

Dense with trickling synths and threaded by an optimistic rhythm, the track is somewhere between bedroom pop and chill wave. The opening repeated line, ‘I was flying on the night when I met you’ becomes chant-like, as though Chelsie is beckoning you up there with her.

‘My songs are all based on my own emotions, which are varied and intense’, Chelsie expands. ‘I just hope the tracks convey a sense of being honest with yourself and not holding anything back.’

Fans of her celestial beats will be pleased to hear that ‘Metchu’ is just the beginning. With the new released coinciding with her recent performances at the Komedia and this year’s Great Escape festival, it would seem she’s gearing up for more music than ever. ‘There is a new EP on its way this year’, Chelsie confirms. ‘Expect emotional heartfelt pop treats.’

For one, I’m excited to see what new HEIGHTS she might reach – sorry couldn’t help myself. If you want to keep up to date too, here’s her Instagram and Twitter.

Words by Kate Bowie