By Each week an artist Spotlight is released here on Indie Central Music and with each artist chosen I consistently express a desire for more of their genre and style. It goes without saying that it’s the same this week with slacker singer/songwriter Willie J Healey.
I first discovered Willie J Healey at Flying Vinyl Festival II. Having only heard his name prior to this I was let into the delightful surprise of both his calmer side (Best Friend’s Sister) and his louder more rowdy side (Greys). Whilst he has built a bigger name for himself now, it still felt right to run an article like this on him as he needs ten times more praise and attention.
For a quick rundown on the Singer/Songwriters musical history, he started releasing tracks back in 2015 with his debut EP HD Malibu (recorded entirely in his garage by himself) and later in the same year another EP called Saturday Night Feeling. This was where his name started gaining some traction before his 2016 release Hey Big Moon – EP. Since then he’s released three singles this year so perhaps we can expect a new EP in the coming months.
For those of you who generally aren’t into singer/songwriters, don’t worry, Willie J Healey isn’t your average guy with an acoustic guitar. Boasting a discography of alt/indie/slacker rock Healey hits a section of the UK music scene not yet seen. He favours a lightly distorted guitar and riffs that sound like they could often fit in with blues music or even at times with bands like RHCP. His performances aren’t just calm and with him standing in place either, he belts out his yelling voice filling the entire room with his almost surf rock vibes and dancing about the stage.
He seems like the UK’s answer to Mac Demarco yet clearly isn’t just a carbon copy. For those who love a good riff, lyrics to tell tales of your average young adult slackers, and nicely sized catalogue of music to get into, Willie J Healey is a fantastic artist to really get into.
