Delilah - 2 - 4am mixtape

When songs come along that sweep you away with their brilliance, you become properly emotionally invested in them. Delilah’s Love You So was one of those songs; a haunting, baroquely elegant slice of spook-pop that felt like the ushering in of a genuine big talent for 2012 – but come release day, it went criminally un-noticed despite a gushing plethora of positive reviews, failing to crack the UK Top 40.

But for those craving more Delilah, more of that soul-tugging enchantment, new mixtape 2 - 4am offers a wealth of delights.  Like the early hours it labels itself with, the tape plays out the mystique of twilight moments, delving down into the squelching, darkly seductive stickyness of dubstep number Closer. The tape feels ritualistic in its pounding, hypnotic rhythms – stuff that plies right into the soul, whispering the blackest of magic to placate the emotions.

Love You So, with its Eastern tinged string melodies still sounds incredible, presented here in crisp garage remix format. The Gospel offers more of the same, a piano accented slice of thrilling neo-noir  – like a James Bond theme fuelled by pure paranoia, it slides R&B up against urban pop in the most electric of unions.

The raw vocal power of an Adele, the on-trend street-smart understanding of a Katy B, Delilah has it all going on, and 2 - 4am, it has to be said, feels almost too good to be merely a free download. For a budding new pop artist, it stands as a thrilling, richly textured debut, and the UK would do well to heed Delilah’s talent – there’s a real star in the making there.

Download the 2 – 4am mixtape for free from Delilah’s official site.