The folk resurgence is here, and Cornwall’s Essy Sparrow is leading the charge. With the buzz surrounding the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic sparking a renewed interest in storytelling-driven music, Sparrow has emerged as a fresh voice blending the warmth of ‘60s folk with a contemporary indie-pop pulse. Her debut EP, Still Upset About It Actually, released on November 22, 2024, has already made waves—garnering viral success on TikTok, repeated airplay on BBC Introducing, and glowing endorsements from indie tastemakers. At the heart of this five-track collection lies Artists Dreamers, a song that perfectly encapsulates Sparrow’s scrappy, heartfelt approach to songwriting.
Artists Dreamers is an evocative, bittersweet anthem for the creatively restless. A delicate yet purposeful guitar line carries Sparrow’s wistful vocals as she paints a portrait of young dreamers navigating the weight of their ambitions. There’s a conversational intimacy to her delivery as if she’s singing directly to the listener, pulling them into the song’s quiet confessions and unspoken longings. The lyrics land like a late-night conversation between artists who are caught between romanticizing their struggles and wondering if their dreams will ever be enough. It’s melancholic but hopeful—an ode to those who create not because they want to, but because they have to.
There’s a rawness to Artists Dreamers that feels intentional, as though Sparrow is capturing the song in its purest form, unpolished and real. The production, helmed by indie-folk favorite Jemima Coulter (Hailaker), is minimal but effective—soft keys hum beneath the melody, subtle percussion adds warmth, and everything feels in service of the song’s storytelling. The track’s emotional weight sneaks up on you, culminating in a final chorus that swells with quiet conviction, leaving the listener with a lingering ache.
While Artists Dreamers is the standout, Still Upset About It Actually as a whole showcases Sparrow’s knack for deeply personal yet universally relatable songwriting. Dead 2 Me is a sharp, tongue-in-cheek breakup track wrapped in jangly folk-pop sensibilities, balancing heartbreak with a knowing smirk. Girlhood takes a more introspective turn, exploring themes of nostalgia, growing pains, and the fleeting nature of friendships. The delicate acoustic arrangement underscores the song’s poignancy, making it one of the EP’s most tender moments.
Delusional Bedtime Story leans into a dreamlike, almost ethereal quality, blending soft harmonies with shimmering production. The track feels like a quiet diary entry set to music, offering a glimpse into Sparrow’s inner world with a gentle vulnerability. Then there’s Don’t Go Home (For Christmas), a stunning closer that subverts holiday song expectations. Instead of festive cheer, Sparrow delivers a poignant ballad about avoiding places tied to old wounds. It’s a song about choosing emotional distance, about finding new traditions when the past is too painful to revisit—a theme that will resonate with many.
What sets Sparrow apart isn’t just her ability to craft memorable melodies—it’s the way she builds emotional landscapes with her words. She’s been compared to folk greats like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, but she also carries echoes of modern indie-folk storytellers like Laura Marling and Novo Amor. There’s an effortless honesty in her music, an ability to articulate the small but significant emotions that shape us. It’s no surprise that fans have affectionately dubbed her a “scrappy little songwriter”—her music carries the spirit of someone who is figuring things out in real-time, and listeners are more than happy to go along for the ride.
With Still Upset About It Actually, Essy Sparrow has crafted a debut that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. And with Artists Dreamers leading the charge, it’s clear that this is just the beginning for an artist who has already captured the attention of folk revivalists and indie-pop lovers alike. If 2024 was the year she introduced herself to the world, 2025 might just be the year she becomes a household name.
