Wilder Music

By Elsa Commander

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At 26 years old, singer/songwriter Victoria Canal is already an accomplished musician. Canal has proven herself to be worthy of success, with two Ivor Novello awards and the recent release of her debut album: ‘Slowly, It Dawns’.

‘Slowly, It Dawns’ is a story of change in emotion and mindset as one day progresses into the next – reflecting on “existential vertigo”. Starting off with ‘June Baby’, the narrator discovers the feeling of new, playful romance in an excitable pop track that will have you singing its melodies for days. Written with Ross MacDonald from indie band The 1975, this track is an immediate hook to the album and a bold beginning to the journey that the album takes.

Canal describes late night parties and lustful frivolity in ‘California Sober’ and ‘Cake’, before diving headfirst into the mellow, quietness of the next morning with ‘15%’. Lyrically melancholic, ‘15%’ details the numbness of not being able to perceive yourself as others do. As Canal sings ‘Thumb on the lens of my feelings’, you can’t help but feel drawn in to the relatable meaning of the song.

Next on the album is ‘Vauxhall’, where Canal questions whether the right path is to follow her dreams or to live in a certain, comfortable way. The build at the end of this song is in the central spotlight of the album, where she cries “I wish I had a choice!” over and over again in an all-powerful burst of emotion and energy.

Straight from the intensity of Vauxhall comes ‘How Can I Be A Person?’, a track which reflects on feeling always one step behind everyone else, and the self-comparison that comes with it. Even the chords in the introduction are packed with melancholy – the instrumental in this song is enough to pull tears to the surface. The yearning and emotion is not only in the instrumental, but embedded in the lyrics; “As hard as I try, I’m not you”. Even as one of the shortest songs on the album, it establishes itself as the turning point of the narrative.

As we go further into the self-reflective, melancholy side of the album, we come across ‘Totally F*cking Fine’; a piano track whose melody was birthed right in the studio. The recording on the album is the first time the song was ever played, which only highlights Canal’s exceptional talent.

‘Totally F*cking Fine’ flows wonderfully into ‘Hollow’, another crescendo of glorious, heavenly emotion. The lyric “There’s no morning glory, no Bible, or moral of the story to follow / Beneath it all we are hollow” is a standout lyric on the album. The idea was taken simply from books on a friend’s bookshelf – a testimony to Canal’s imaginative mind.

After the quiet, steady existential revelations in ‘Barely’, it is ‘Black Swan’ ’s turn to shine. The bold piano melody is built up and down from the start of the track, intensifying porous feeling and rhythmic emotion. The chorus lifts and pulls, and the bridge draws you higher and higher with Canal’s triumphant vocals; “Wherever I am, it’s not where I should be.” The power and emotion in Black Swan’s is awe-striking and proud; it sincerely deserves the Ivor Novello ‘Best Song Musically and Lyrically’ Award it received in 2024.

The final song on ‘Slowly, It Dawns’ is ‘Swan Song’. According to Canal, it is the ‘sister song’ to ‘Black Swan’. It details the phenomenon of anticipatory grief; the knowledge that you are going to lose a loved one. “Who knows how long we’ve got? As long as I am breathing, I know it’s not too late to love.” These are the final lyrics on the album. Heartbreakingly truthful, Canal’s proves that her songwriting is wildly exceptional.

Review and Photography by Elsa Commander