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With a title like ‘I Just Don’t Deserve To Be Loved’<\/i>, there’s a fairly certain expectation of what to expect from Luke Rainsford<\/b>‘s newest EP. Indeed, he’s been leading the charge of the UK’s ever-growing crop of acoustic pop-punk and emo artists, particularly with the acclaim garnered from the deeply personal songwriting of his second full-length ‘I Feel At Home With You’<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Now, ruminating on the death of his mother, ‘I Don’t Deserve To Be Loved’<\/i> is another strikingly personal release. That primarily comes in the abundance of plain-spoken catharsis in coming to terms with loss on ‘Looking For Your Ghost’<\/i> and the disdain towards empty well-wishers at her funeral on ‘An Open Letter’<\/i>. Throughout, there’s a certain level of flatness to Rainsford<\/b>‘s vocals to highlight the numbness of it all, and it really does lend this EP a remarkable sense of pathos. Only to be ended in the best possible way with the glimmer of hope on ‘What I Hide Beneath’<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Of course, that becomes more important than the actual instrumentation, but there’s still a richness to these arrangements that has more body than a spare, acoustic setup. Chiming pianos and muffled drumbeats form a backbone that’s ultimately sturdy, but still pliable enough to mould around Rainsford<\/b>‘s acoustic work. This is apparent on tracks such as the more upbeat pop-rock of ‘Sweet Briar’<\/i>. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, but it makes for a more subdued, insular release. There’s certainly a lot of warmth and likability to it.<\/p>\n
But really, the crux of ‘I Don’t Deserve To Be Loved’<\/i> is its intent. As a tribute to a lost loved one, this hits all the necessary spots. As beneficial as a little more diversity could be, there’s a lot of charm and heartfelt sentiment here that’s hard not to like.\u00a0Rainsford<\/b> has buckets of charm and personality that he exudes effortlessly.<\/p>\n
4\/5
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