Upcoming star Sarah Close stuns with the mature pop of “Call Me Out”

08 March 2017, 10:00 | Written by Pip Williams

(Tracks)

(Sarah Close)

The transition from YouTuber to popstar never did run smooth, but the debut single from London-based musician Sarah Close will have you believing it’s nothing if not effortless.

Following an endorsement from Zoe Sugg - or Zoella, as she’s more widely known - (one of the biggest names in the UK YouTube community, for the uninitiated) Sarah Close dropped “Call Me Out” last Friday, to apparently universal acclaim.

Where her YouTube channel brims with covers of massive chart hits, Close’s debut single is a welcomingly mature introduction to her original work, and the first track from her forthcoming debut EP Caught Up. In a similar vein to Pharrell protégée Maggie Rogers, “Call Me Out” pairs a flair for warmly engaging songwriting with a ridiculously hooky chorus. The clarity of Close’s vocal is endlessly rewarding, with her measured yet powerful delivery lilting effortlessly in and out of the track’s satisfying electro-pop production.

“Call Me Out”’s accompanying video - premiering exclusively with The Line of Best Fit - sees Close moving in nostalgic slow-motion. She darts around a stately home and gardens, overflowing with the same youthful vivacity heard in her vocal performances.

In both audio and visual spheres, Close demonstrates that there is a credible alternative to the jarringly saccharine careers pursued by several of her peers. With a headline show at Camden Assembly scheduled for 18 April, and a subscriber count closing in on one million, her success seems not only welcome, but inevitable.

Caught Up is out 14 April, and is available to preorder now.