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Germany-based singer-songwriter Lea Willms introduces herself as a powerful new talent with the release of her debut album, ‘Marbles’, a deeply personal and sonically rich exploration of love, fear, and identity.
Raised in a small town along the river Rhine, Willms grew up immersed in her parents’ record collection, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and The Beatles serving as her earliest muses. What began as poems scribbled in spiral notebooks soon evolved into songs filled with raw emotion and lyrical honesty, capturing the complexities of growing up and finding one’s place in the world.
Over the past three years, Willms has meticulously shaped ‘Marbles’ between Germany and the UK, recording at Sloe Flower Studio in Chester. The album reflects her journey through early adulthood, marked by self-doubt, discovery, and transformation. Moving between Manchester, Berlin, and her hometown, each city left an indelible mark on her sound, a delicate balance of intimate folk storytelling and lush indie textures.
The result is an album that ebbs and flows between vulnerability and power. The title track, ‘Branding Bruises’, meditates on authenticity in an age of curated perfection, carried by ethereal vocals and understated electric guitars. Elsewhere, ‘Reunion’ channels Willms’ alt-pop sensibilities into a tender, relatable anthem, while ‘Home’ leans into grungier indie-folk territory, dreamy vocals shining through atmospheric guitars and immersive production.
Each song on ‘Marbles’ feels like a snapshot from a diary, threaded together by Willms’ cinematic sense of atmosphere and emotional precision. The arrangements mirror the emotional arcs within, delicate acoustic textures bloom into expansive soundscapes of shimmering guitars and layered harmonies. It’s an album that doesn’t rush to resolve its questions, instead inviting listeners to sit with their feelings, to embrace the beauty in vulnerability and the strength in stillness.
“Making ‘Marbles’ was such a transformative experience for me. After pressing pause on music to work full-time, creating this album felt like a true creative revival. The songs span five years of my life -from my first year in Manchester, feeling homesick and lost, to finding my footing in Berlin. I poured all the fears, doubts, and hopes of my early 20s into it. It’s deeply personal, but I hope listeners will hear their own stories in it too.”
Influenced by artists like Julia Jacklin, Lucy Dacus, and Soccer Mommy, Willms crafts a sound that feels both timeless and current, pairing folk intimacy with indie boldness. With ‘Marble’s, she steps into the spotlight as one of the most promising new voices in UK music, offering a record that is as reflective as it is resonant.
