As warmer weather abounds for much of the Northern Hemisphere, I find myself in the equally sunlit (and at times bittersweet) embrace of I Wish I Had A God, the latest EP from British artist Hohnen Ford. It’s the second EP from the London-based singer-songwriter, serving as a successor to 2022’s Infinity, and showcases once again the charming, velvety sounds that consistently enchant listeners, including those who tuned in to her previous sessions of live-streamed performances. The question is: with Ford creating music of seemingly endless appeal, passion, and intricacy, where – both figuratively and literally – do you go from infinity?
Across 18-odd minutes, we are fortunate enough to meander through five delightful tracks – each one led by Ford’s feathery, mellifluous voice and the warm hold of the piano. Entrusting yourself to their guidance, each song carries distinct character in terms of theme and musicality, too, demonstrating a versatility and range to Ford’s craft that is both commendable and bodes for a fulfilling listening experience. That’s not to say its modest roster could neither easily nor passively populate the background of your day, but I found it far more rewarding when giving it my full attention.
“Only Way Out” is a strong opener: lingering chords welcome us to bask in the sound Hohnen Ford conjures, sharing the stage with her robust vocals in a partnership that works wonders. It gives a sense of suspension – of being held aloft, overlooking what’s below and taking it all in. There are shifts in tone between major and minor, mimicking the journey that we all take through life’s ups and down. Hohnen Ford has a knack for deeply involving you as a listener: not just conveying her own emotions, but creating an environment in which you truly experience them for yourself and perhaps even reflect.
The course of her music is certainly endearing, peppering poignant chord progressions with lilting melodies, and unassuming percussion bolstering the heartened compositions with a sweetness and subtlety. The strong, jazzy threads you hear are hardly a surprise, coming from a First Honours graduate of the Royal Academy of Music. You see, Ford grew up enveloped in the full wealth of jazz that London has to offer, drawn to studying it while taking inspiration for her own music from the songwriting of Joni Mitchell, David Longstreth, and Big Thief among others.
The resulting sound gives us tracks like “Honest Mistake” and closer “Skin Deep”, wherein Ford’s soft yet arresting vocals grow with harmony and power as songs progress. Lines such as ‘There’s a canyon between our twin beds’ and ‘Why’d you ignore the subtleties/Must be a fool in front me’ may seem coated in melancholic tones, but Hohnen Ford weaves an uplifting air to them through moments of breathy vibrato that complement rising strings and sustained notes to form a rich texture beneath her lyricism. Contrastingly, “Another Lifetime” is outwardly jauntier. It still employs those fantastic jazzy, off-piste directions in melody and chord, with drums providing a heightened sense of pace to the arpeggiated piano runs that carry us merrily along with a sense of eagerness and curiosity.
The EP’s titular track is difficult to write about. It’s powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking. To be perfectly candid, it’s also a song that now physically brings me to tears each time I listen to it, and I have zero shame in admitting that. The loss of someone is never easy to endure, nor to revisit, and with this track Ford paints an aching yet tender vision of someone no longer within her grasp. Even now, writing this, it chokes me up as the song draws me to reflect on those in my life whose ongoing presence now feels confined to what was: nothing new can be formed, and that hurts. It hurts that I no longer have the privilege to embrace, see, or even speak to them – just one more time – however desperately I long for it… As with all of her poetic, provocative lyrics on this EP, Ford sums it up beautifully: ‘What would I wish for with a penny to spend?/I’d wish I had a god so I could see you again’.
Introspection aside, I can attest that this is a dazzling return from Hohnen Ford – an EP lasting just under 19 minutes which, coincidentally, is roughly the same amount of time the average British person will entertain scorching summer weather before complaining that it’s too hot. However, there are no complaints here: I Wish I Had A God is a marvellous melting pot of musical fluidity, whimsical grace, and a warming sensibility applied to a breadth of emotions, encompassing all it touches like rays of light illuminating even the darkest corners. No irony lost, then, that after a lengthy and difficult absence from writing I couldn’t have wished for a more glowing record in which to bask. God damn, it feels good to be back.
Photo credit: Caity Krone
