Indie Light

Luke Westaway is an English YouTuber, composer and musician. He is perhaps best known for his tenure on Outsidextra, a YouTube companion channel to OutsideXbox, which itself is a subsidiary of Gamer Network, and focuses on gaming commentary and games journalism. However as of April 2024 he has made the decision to leave Outsidextra to focus on his own YouTube channel, as well as composing and making music full time. So that leads us on to today where we will be reviewing his debut album ‘Short Songs with Long Titles’ which was released August 17th 2018.

‘I Took a Week Off Work and My Brain Didn’t Know What to Do With That’ opens with a jaunty melody, piano chords flowing smoothly into Luke’s vocals, his voice is rich and smooth and pleasing to the ears, overall it’s a simple melody, the structure doesn’t change much from start to finish and yet it has this nice energy and momentum that works perfectly to create this offbeat and frenetic vibe that exemplifies the tone and feel of the entire album. I love that it ends so suddenly, creating a very specific m

‘Ode to the Moth That Was Hiding in My Towel, Oh How Your Freaked Me Out’ is slower and softer, the piano building and creating this poignant energy, it takes the reality of the narrative told in the story and gives it more weight and substance. This is something Luke is incredibly skilled at, there’s no pretence or pretention to the album, it’s quirky and it’s a little silly, but throughout the whole album Luke creates something that feels authentic and genuine. 

‘Here’s to the Rare Weeks of London Summer, Where Everything Seems New and Anything Feels Possible’ kicks off slow, more halting and weighty piano chords, it adds this raw and powerful energy, giving a sense of hopefulness and lightness, perfectly balanced by Luke’s vocals, his voice has a lighter register, and it adds a sense of energy and brightness to the performance. He manages to create a superb balance throughout the song, the faster chords balancing with his more measured vocal delivery. It’s already almost too close to call but I think this track is my personal favourite of the entire album. 

‘I Used Two Knives Making Toast This Morning and I Don’t Feel the Need to Apologise’ is a burst of energy, a brief musical interlude that’s fun and playful, and after a softer more emotive track it adds the right level of levity. I mentioned in the previous track that Luke is good at creating well balanced tracks, and equally the juxtaposition of the lighter and softer and faster and more energetic numbers show that within the context of the full album, Luke is careful to keep the tracks balanced consistently so that nothing is overshadowed or underutilised by the tracks coming before or after it. 

‘So I Don’t Know If I Need More Exercise or If It’s Just Adult Life but Is Anyone Else Basically Permanently Tired?’ slows things down just a touch, more sweeping chords, and once again I just have to comment on Luke’s voice, he’s got a strong and distinctive vocal style that works especially well within the context of this track. He’s an energetic and passionate performer who pours heart into every track. I also love the story of the tracks, Luke excels at taking normal and almost mundane human experiences and elevating them through his songs.

‘A Rainy Long Weekend on the Coast, and All There Is to Do Is Drink’ is another hearty track bursting with energy, the track’s core melody has big bouncing chords that just inject the right amount of energy, and it’s another standout vocal performance for Luke, and you just get lost in the beat and rhythm of the track. This for sure snags the second spot for personal favourites on the album.

‘Friends, I Too Feel the Temptation to Jump Aboard Passing Freight Trains and Journey to a New Life, but We Haven’t Thought It Through’ is another slower number, once again keeping an even and balanced audio experience, and it has some of the finest piano melodies on an album full of superb performances. I really enjoyed this track, and even though it’s one of the briefer tracks on an album that admits to being about short songs, you still get the full flavour of the track in that period.

‘I’m Sorry to Be Negative and I’m Sorry This Sounds Preachy, but Sometimes the Pace of Life in This City Feels Absolutely Bloody Relentless’ keeps this slower, but with a more jaunty undertone, and more strong vocals from Luke, he’s just such an emotive and engaging singer that you just get caught up in the performance. I can totally understand Luke’s music not being for everyone but honestly though I’d find it hard to believe that in such a strong album there isn’t one track that doesn’t resonate with someone. 

‘I Went to the Safari Park at Night and Didn’t See Any Lions’ is punchy, with heavier more dramatic chords that just sweep you forward, Luke’s lighter, softer vocals blend really cleanly with the piano, creating a nice counterpoint that truly closes out the album on a strong note. I’ve been told in the past that I’m drawn more towards the sadder songs, and I do admit to enjoying a bit of depth and pathos, so steering into the stereotype, this track snags the number 3 slot for my personal favourites on the album because it hits a sweet spot for me in terms of tone and style and as I said above finishes up Luke’s debut album on a high note. 

So that’s what I thought of Luke Westaway’s album ‘Short Songs with Long Titles’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and support the artist by checking out their website and by following them on Twitter and Instagram.