“When it’s good, it’s good” - a line that should resonate with anyone who has experienced a passionate, jealous, or toxic relationship that seems to be filled with drama, swinging from extremes of distress and happiness. The fact that Lyves is once again able to capture this emotional endurance into her music, namely new single ‘Holding Back’, is testament to her talent, and as the London artist states, “That’s my aim, to be as honest and real as possible, my hope is that it speaks to people.” Lyves opened the year with the mesmeric and emotion-fuelled Like Water EP, and ‘Holding Back’ is certainly cut from the same stylistic cloth. Melancholia beckons through the reverberated piano, while trip-hop beats pace themselves and Lyves’ glorious R&B vocal expresses pain in love. Her powerful delivery hits every note. - HT