SINGLE REVIEW: Brooke Ellen – Corset

Content Warning: This review discusses themes of ED and related topics. If this is a triggering topic for you, please proceed with caution! – Ry

Earlier this year saw the release of Merseyside’s Brooke Ellen’s second EP, ‘Haunted’. A brilliantly dark and theatrical affair, the gothic splendour and sharp creativity of Ellen’s sound marked the EP out as one of the best or 2024, and that still remains the case as we approach the year’s end. Despite this, Ellen was far from finished with the year, and has gifted listeners one final song to listen to in the form of the alternative-pop single, ‘Corset’.

Whilst the theatrical elements of Ellen’s sound have been smoothed down for this release, her brilliantly engaging and dramatic manner of performing remains; even set against slow electronic beats and alternative pop-oriented instrumentation, Ellen makes for a haunting, captivating presence. Lyrics such as ‘And I smile as the inches disappear/For a while/And I do it again and again’ make for a painfully vulnerable and visceral exploration of body image issues and eating disorders, as Ellen’s corset comes to represent a destructive yearning for control, easily misconstrued by onlookers as little more than a fashion choice.

The dark pop subtleties of the track explode in the final act, coalescing into a rock-tinged climax with immense guitars and monstrous percussive rhythms. It makes for a wonderful pay-off to the slow-burn nature of the track, almost as if Ellen has become wholly consumed by her own destructive coping mechanisms. The intensity is brilliantly uncomfortable to behold.

Brooke Ellen remains a hidden gem of Merseyside, but if there is any justice in the music world, that should not be the case for very long. Just as with her EP, ‘Corset’ is indicative of a creative musician who performs not simply because she wants to, but because she needs to. A musical force of nature waiting to be unleashed.

For Fans Of: Lana Del Ray, Björk, girl in red, Billie Eilish

Follow the artist on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify