Brooke Combe confronts home truths in "Dancing At The Edge of the World"

They say the grass is greener on the other side, but when a major record label has your artistic career in the palm of their hands, parting ways with them is no easy feat. If there’s anything that prospective musicians can learn from newcomer Brooke Combe, it is to trust your gut. Combe’s latest release, “Dancing At The Edge of the World” dives lyrically into that same feeling of leaving behind all that you know to pursue a greater creative purpose. Bearing similar sounds to that of Joy Crookes, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, and Olivia Dean, Combe’s new single is a breath of fresh air in the overly saturated neo-soul music genre.

Combe continues to deliver the same swaggering vocal performance in her latest release as that of her debut mixtape Black Is The New Gold, that stunned listeners in 2023 with tracks like “A-Game”, and “Are You With Me” taking centre stage throughout her album campaign. Coated in a sultry grittiness that only some of soul’s greatest female artists have successfully mastered, Combe’s vocals radiate with a rawness that complements the lyrical honesty of “Dancing At The Edge of the World”. The glorious string arrangements peppered throughout are the missing piece of this musical puzzle, as they play in unison with Combe’s vocals. It goes without saying that the real pleasure of Combe’s single lies in its groove-ridden drum beat permeating the mix, making it practically impossible not to tap your feet to and even pull a stank face or two.

Expanding on the inspiration behind her latest release, Combe admits: “I wrote this after parting ways with a major label. After feeling like I wasn’t able to pursue creating music and lyrics that I felt strongly about, I ended up with a lot of self doubt and felt as though I was jumping through hoops for people that weren’t actually performing these songs themselves […] It was quite a crucial point in my career. I had to go through that to find my feet. I had to stay true to myself and when I finally had the freedom, my forthcoming debut album pretty much wrote itself. The title of the track came from a book my producer was reading at the time and I instantly resonated with the quote due to the feelings I had surrounding my situation.”

Having worked with producer James Skelly of The Coral on each release, it’s refreshing to follow an artist that seems so grounded and sure of her morals this early into her career. If authenticity is the driving force behind Combe’s songwriting, then long may she continue to bring tracks of the same seamless quality to the table.