Molly Warburton has spent years building her following the slow way—gigging relentlessly, playing to whoever would listen, letting the audience grow on its own. Eyes Wide Open, her new five-track EP, is the sound of that hard work paying off.
It’s her most personal release to date, tracing a journey from self-doubt to self-belief across five tracks: “Am I The One For You?“, “Better Me”, “Hopelessly Addicted“, “Shout Louder” and “Dancing with Devils“. The throughline is clarity—the moment you stop seeing your life through someone else’s eyes and start seeing it through your own.
“This is probably the most honest, most ‘me’ music I’ve ever written,” she says. “‘Eyes Wide Open’ is about time passing—how age and a bit of wisdom finally show you what life’s actually about.”
You can hear that in how the songs are built. Warburton writes emotionally direct alt-pop with a Northern edge, wrapping vulnerable lyrics in expansive, guitar-driven production. There’s the storytelling instinct of Fleetwood Mac in here, the fearless individuality of KT Tunstall, and something of Florence + The Machine’s cinematic scale—but it never tips into imitation. She cites KT Tunstall’s Eye to the Telescope as a direct influence, and you can feel that same balance of intimacy and punch.
The EP moves through self-doubt, love, empowerment and acceptance without ever feeling like a lecture on any of them. It’s about letting go of the people, habits and expectations that stop being useful, and working out who you actually want to be. That’s a well-worn subject for a record, but Warburton’s honesty keeps it from feeling generic—these are her specifics, and she trusts you to find your own inside them.
It’s been earning her attention for a while now. Over a million streams, repeat support from Spotify editorial (New Music Friday, New Pop UK, Chilled Pop Hits), and backing from BBC Introducing Lancashire, where she was named Record of the Week, plus airplay on BBC 6 Music and Amazing Radio. Live, she’s played Kendal Calling, The Great Escape, Highest Point and Forgotten Fields, shared stages with Jade Bird, Andrew Cushin and Tom Meighan, and won a national competition to support Lucy Spraggan on tour.
One of UK alt-pop’s most honest new voices, Molly Warburton sounds, on Eyes Wide Open, at her clearest and boldest. It’s a confident step forward from an artist who’s done the groundwork and knows exactly what she’s saying and on this evidence, the wider audience is only a matter of time.
Eyes Wide Open is out now. Listen here.
