Delilah Holliday and the self empowering sparks of "Long Time Coming" (Official Video)

 

"can't escape future / can't escape your death / the underdog has the sharpest teeth / sharpen mine in my sleep..."


The dour synth melancholia against tip hop beats that floods down upon "Long Time Coming" by North London’s DIY artist Delilah Holliday is juxtaposed against lyrics that she spouts in direct punchy ways. They have a steely eyed, tight fisted fight mode push of empowerment, "the underdog has the sharpest teeth", and while Delilah shares this:

 “'Long Time Coming' is about holding your head up high, and that no matter how long you’ve been doing something, to never give up. It’s kind of an autobiographical song about how long I’ve been making music for, and how long you can do something without quitting, and why you do it.”

For me, I interpreted this amazing track in other ways. I sense the resilience of anyone oppressed. I feel the lyrics have the double edged sword realization that those of us who are "the others" or deemed as such by the ignorant (that sometimes extends to the powers that be) whether we are people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ, Arabs or Jews, women, etc, we have to be fighters, have to be outspoken, have to be more than most to merely survive all this political, emotional muck. At least, that is what I am feeling and I fully admit that with all the horrible things happening in the world, especially over the last decade, I am tending to see a lot of songs through political lenses.   

The vocal countenance exists between spoken word, rap, singing and I love when Delilah sings, "I'm a winner and an outcast" which stings like a cold water slap in the face. I growing up have always gravitated to the outcasts and misfits, maybe because I felt like one, birds of a feather and all that. I am gravitating to "Long Time Coming" as well.   

Press Notey stuff:

[Following her acclaimed Invaluable Vol. 1 EP this past July, North London’s DIY icon Delilah Holliday will release Invaluable Vol. 2 on November 3 via One Little Independent Records. Today, she shares the collection’s latest single, “Long Time Coming,”, with part 2 of the 2 part video from acclaimed director Anikola Davies Jr. Watch + share it via YouTube. And revisit part 1, for the single “Liquid Pearl.” The two EPs combine to create the Invaluable mixtape, released on limited edition 12” transparent violet vinyl. Delilah will celebrate in London, November 9 before hitting the road throughout the UK and EU, supporting Georgia.]

"Long Time Coming" is accompanied with an outstanding Official Video directed by Akinola Davies. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM 

https://www.facebook.com/delilahholliday

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Jcu8RReH3v0k4Zmll7VFZ

https://www.instagram.com/delilahholliday/

https://delilahholliday.com/

https://delilahholliday.bandcamp.com/track/long-time-coming

Delilah Holliday, North London’s homegrown DIY icon, makes downtempo electronic art pop with added layers of trip hop, with an intoxicating medley of heady synth. Sonically she’s transportive, but in her lyrics Delilah keeps things grounded. She revels in otherworldly sounds and visuals that play with the abstract, the psychedelic and the conceptual, but the lived experiences she mines for creativity remain at the core of what she does. Growing up on Holloway Road and beginning her creative endeavours with family members has clearly impacted this, and a sense of community provides her bedrock. Her band, Skinny Girl Diet, which she founded at the age of 14 with her sister Ursula and their cousin Amelia, were a staple of the 2010’s UK indie-punk landscape. She then successfully transitioned to her current solo moniker with the release of her debut single ‘Babylon’ in 2018. In a short time, she’s worked with some of the best across both the music and fashion world including Neneh Cherry, Vivienne Westwood, Ghost Poet and more. In 2021 alone she hosted a ‘Goddess Energy Experience’ show at The Old Blue Last with Tyson and Grove, headlined St Pancras Old Church, partnered with Marshall Amps, and she performed an exclusive A/V live session with FACT Magazine. She’s also presented her own monthly NTS Radio show since 2016. New EP ‘Invaluable Vol. 1’ follows her signing to One Little Independent Records.

Delilah Holliday, North London, singer songwriter, artist, musician, autobiographical song, "the underdog has the sharpest teeth", "Long Time Coming" (Official Video), indie electronic, electronica, trip hop,