Ash: “Floating Away” Single Review

While I enjoy most of the indie bands I review, it is rare for me to stumble upon a song that I love enough to listen to on a loop.

English-born singer-songwriter Ash McMillan surprised me with her seven-piece band’s latest single, “Floating Away.” Pulling myself away from Plastiscene or Velvet Starlings for a review often leaves me in a stiff mood, but now I am left wanting to hear more. I have always been stubborn and nit-picky with female vocals, but McMillan takes the impurities I feel with my own voice and embraces them in a way that they make the song sound more vintage.

Pop and R&B is an interesting mash up of genres, but I couldn’t be more on board for it. The classic band energy almost leads me to believe that an old jazz group was resurrected for the modern day.

Many of the lyrics in this song are sweetly immersive, such as the second verse: “Take the tape off my mouth/clear the clouds from my eyes/…I let all of your rain settle, pushed past the thorns…/I’ll grow flowers with the new sun.” And the vibe of the guitars and other instruments further the idea of floating away on the air.

Seven is a lucky number after all. And after “Floating Away,” Ash has at least one critic on their back eagerly anticipating what’s next.

Rating: 5/5