Drive Away by Karen Harding: Review

by Gabe Finch October 3, 2022

October 3, 2022

Drive Away by Karen Harding: Review

‘Drive Away’ is an addition to Australian singer and songwriter Karen Harding’s forthcoming arsenal of EP called ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. While she’s in between brewing up tracks for her debut album, her latest release starts with a gentle rhythmic guitar that almost sounds like ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin.

The track features a wish for an escapade from the troubles of being under lockdown for several months during the global COVID-19 pandemic. It has a soft instrumental and minimal production, almost leaning to a darker tone with its nearly haunting delivery. There’s an unsettling Lana Del Rey-like feel to it that I can’t quite pin on – except Karen Harding has her own style of raising her vocals into a wailing tone wherever appropriate to convey her melancholy, and a melodic touch within her uniquely silky tone accompanied by the low tones of cello and the pickings of an acoustic guitar. She takes it up a notch on the eerie portrayal in contrast to the inspirational lyrics – “It’ll all be okay. Don’t you know there’ll be a better day?” with her ghostly yet soothing hums towards the later half of the song.

Karen Harding expressed, ‘It was me, sitting with my guitar, daydreaming about the possibilities of getting away from my COVID lockdown restraints.” Without a doubt, her songwriting, both lyrically and musically, is unmistakably sincere and I can’t wait for the full October release of her EP.