Keeley is a one in a million. An artist the likes of whom you could search the rest of your life for and never find anyone quite like her. She, and her band, is a once in a lifetime find, an artist with such integrity and dedication to her cause, she never strays from her path and is she is laser-focussed on her task at hand. A task in hand that is two-fold.
First and foremost Keeley is a music lover, and a musician’s musician, she has a passion for music that is second to none, with an encyclopaedic knowledge about the music and bands she loves. Keeley has spent years honing her own skills as a musician to get to exactly where she wants to be, here and now, with this incredible new album. The thing about Keeley though is that no matter how many plaudits she gets for this album, and believe me she will get many, she won’t allow herself to rest on her laurels. In fact I’m sure she is already searching for new sounds and avenues down which she can take her music. Keeley works tirelessly for her art, and over the years her hard work has paid off, securing support slots and tours with some household names. This is not by chance, Keeley is astute, these are bands she herself admires, the fans of whom are sure to dig the sounds her band makes, so she is constantly gathering new fans along the way, and these fans include members of the bands themselves. Keeley isn’t content with just supporting these bands along the way, she builds strong bonds with them. Hard work pays off, and the fruits of her labours can be heard on Girl on the Edge of the World with contributions from none other than Miki Berenyi (Lush/Piroshka/Miki Berenyi Trio) and Simon “Sice” Rowbottom (The Boo Radleys) on two tracks on the new album.
Secondly, or perhaps I should say as equally as important, or perhaps even more important as the music she makes, is the backbone of and the constant theme that runs throughout the entire musical output of Keeley, her raison d’etre, Inga Marie Hauser. If you know anything about the music of Keeley you’ll know that every song she writes, every piece of music she composes revolves around the tragic tale of the teenage German backpacker, who met her untimely death as she made her way around Europe ultimately to reach Ireland, a destination she never saw. The perpetrator has never been found and there can be no-one more dedicated to the cause than Keeley, who will not rest until someone is charged with Inga’s murder and justice is served. There’s one thing for sure, thanks to Keeley the name of Inga Maria Hauser will never be forgotten.
If you follow the Ginger Quiff blog, and my previous brief stint writing for Louder Than War, you’ll know I’ve written about Keeley many times over the years, ever since I was hooked in the early days by the Brave Warrior EP (link to review here). At that time the whole concept of all the songs on that EP being about one person really intrigued me, and I was subsequently fascinated by the tragic story of Inga Maria Hauser reading The Keeley Chronicles and watching the documentary Murder in the Badlands and became absolutely transfixed (or should I say totally entranced) by the music of Keeley. I realised early on that being a fan of Keeley was a completely immersive experience, yes of courses the music itself is mesmerising and hypnotic, but you get so much more from Keeley when you become invested in the story of Inga Maria and completely immerse yourself in the music and lyrics.
You may also have noticed that each time I write about Keeley’s music I make reference to noting a progression in her sound and the power of her music, at some point I’ve probably mentioned that each release is her best work to date. I’m sure any artist would want that to be said, their most recent work is what they are most proud of at that time. I think this rings true more so than most though with Keeley, and it is a fact that remains as you listen to the new album Girl on the Edge of the World, getting drawn in once again to the story of Inga Maria told via the words and music of Keeley, an album which musically takes things to yet another level. Some bands find a formula that works for them and they release new albums which are a variation on a theme without progressing their sound. Girl on the Edge of the World is a true progression, the captivating sounds on this album are fuller, wider, more experimental, with huge soaring and epic widescreen soundscapes that sit seamlessly with reflective dreamy moments and quiet and contemplative introspection. This is the first time Keeley has recorded an album as a band, with bandmates Lukey Foxtrot on bass, and former Morrissey drummer Andrew Paresi and the results are a joy to behold, a true work of art.
To speak of this album with such high regard takes nothing away from what has come before, I recently sat down and listened to all of Keeley’s singles, EPs and albums in chronological order, every one hits as hard now as it did when I first listened, everything she has done feels like a natural progression, everything has been done with purpose. Like it’s predecessor, 2024’s Beautiful Mysterious, the songs on Girl on the Edge of the World follow a linear, chronological order of events, a travelogue if you will, from Inga Maria leaving her home in Germany up until her untimely death. You could say these are concept albums, but it would probably be more accurate to call Keeley a concept artist.
The album reveals itself on the opening track Hungry for the Prize with the sound of rail announcements, in German, as Inga Maria sets off on her interrailing adventure around Europe. As the brash noise of the announcements fade, they are replaced with a twisting vortex of sonorous guitar noise. With Inga sitting on the train as her adventure starts, the twists and turns of the spiralling guitar sounds feel like they are channelling the excited anticipation in the teenage traveller’s mind as the thoughts of her trip of a lifetime spin around her head, the train speeding through Europe and onward on the ferry to England, Keeley’s passion for indie music shines through too, with the lyrics quoting David Cavanagh’s book about Creation Records.
The fervent intensity increases as Crossing Lands picks up where Hungry for the Prize left off, the incisive clipped guitar riffs and a brusque and ruthless rhythm section perhaps reflecting the increased anticipation and heightened emotional state of an excited teenager as she realises her plans are finally coming to fruition “I’m between states, changing shape… I am girl with a taste for the world.” Keeley links back to earlier songs with the “totally entranced” lyric as she recounts Inga’s exploration of herself as well as her trip.
By the time the album reaches Trains & Daydreams, featuring Sice from The Boo Radleys on backing vocals, the pace and mood has changed, very much reflecting the songs title, musically and lyrically this feels just like a daydream, “from the window a beautiful blur…” as Inga drifts into the landscape totally immersed in her adventures. That same mood pervades the following songs, London Fields and London Underground as Keeley documents & recounts Inga Maria’s trip through her diary entries and paints vivid lyrical pictures along the way. As I reached this stage in listening to the album, I was beginning to generate my own lucid images and scenes in my head, like I was stepping into the dreamscape and living Inga’s trip vicariously, I could visualise the sunlight shimmering on the Ford Cortina’s, I swear I could smell the fish and chip shops, and I could hear the sound of those old Space Invaders machines…
You can hear the influences of the bands Keeley admires through her music, and as you reach the midpoint of the album, the indie dream pop come shoegaze influence from the likes of Lush is clear with Miki adding her unmistakable ethereal vocals on Big Brown Eyes, certainly one of the album highlights as the instruments build and layer to a divine zenith. Keeley clearly has an ear for the influences she in inspired by, but far from merely copying what has come before, she knows what she wants to achieve, the soundscapes she wants to create, the sounds are malleable in her hands as she manipulates and shapes then until she gets the sound she wants for her songs. And continuing on that shoegaze theme, there is an element of Chapterhouse in Who Want’s to See the World, a song which is majestic and expansive in it’s cinematic scope, singing guitar lines and an exquisite bass line meld together and soar into the ether. The song segues seamlessly into the dreamlike quality of Girl on the Edge of the World, and by now the expansive sound of these songs really make it feel like this album could be the soundtrack to a film of Inga Maria’s life. There is a distinct shift in the feeling of the songs from the title track onwards, far more contemplative and reflective, as unbeknown to her, Inga Maria edges closer to her fate.
When I first listened to To Bring You Back I thought it was probably the most personal song I’ve heard from Keeley, it sends a shiver down your spine as she reflects on and questions Inga’s fateful meeting with a stranger who took her life. The full extent of her dedication to the cause is revealed in her lyric, switching between Inga’s perspective and her own thoughts… “I would give my life, if only to bring you back.” The emotions brought to the fore here continue into Fell In Love With a Ghost, and if I thought the previous song was personal, this one really hits you in the feels, the opening salvo of “Fell in love with a ghost, strange how that was the most real love that I’d ever feel” atop a yearning acoustic guitar part. A real passion shines through the telling lines “those who know don’t speak, and those who speak don’t know.” The Movie of Our Yesterday’s continues in contemplative mood, with Keeley acknowledging that while they’ll never meet, she will endeavour to keep her name alive, ebow is used to great effect alongside synth sounds helping to create the right atmosphere for the song.
The story of Inga comes full circle with another P.A. type announcement at the start of the final song on the album, Daydreams and Trains. This time it has an air of sadness though, entirely different to the mood of albums opener, confirming she never got on the train departing Larne after the ferry docked. “The train left on time, without you inside…” Keeley sings plaintively before adding “…but I can’t leave you behind”
There is an added poignancy at the end of the song with Keeley once again using a clip of Maria singing to close the album. This time the song is Country Roads, and with the line “take me home” and the knowledge that she will never see that home again, despite never having known Inga Maria personally this had a profound effect and it hit really hard. That is the impact Keeley’s passion for keeping Inga Maria’s name alive has when you invest yourself fully in the music and the story.
You can pre-order the album now ahead of its’s release on Friday, and while you’re at it, get yourself a ticket for the Hug and Pint on the 28th of this month, trust me, you won’t be disappointed.