Natalie Clark’s voice is the kind that cuts through the clutter without a second of doubt. The Los Angeles based singer has a quality that’s strikingly her own, the kind of verve that’s almost operatic but also the subtlety and vulnerability that’s restrained and empathic. On “Late Train”, she delivers a rousing and stirring piece of indie pop that’s bound to lift your spirits when things feel glum and beyond reproach. As she draws you in, empathising with your struggles and moments when the world around you feels glum and hard, the chorus then arrives with a certainty to make you feel renewed, with a sense of purpose and with a mission. You were stronger, you belong, no, no, it won’t knock you down. That huskiness in her voice delivered on that last line is so instantly recognisable to me now, such a distinct moment in the larger song that becomes a highlight to replay on.
Structurally and compositionally, “Late Train” hits all the right numbers. But it’s in the power of its performance that it elevates itself to a new level.