Elliott Pritchard - The Halfway Man

​Elliott Pritchard

​The Halfway Man
self-released; 2017

​3.5 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Elliott Pritchard is a musician from England who not only got a degree in performance but plays seven instruments. He shows off his some of his talent on his four-song EP entitled The Halfway Man. There are four songs on this EP with two distinct  styles. The first and last song are electric, distorted rock songs while the two in the middle have more of a folk vibe.

​The production is a DIY effort and is around demo quality. I would say the acoustic songs do hold up  much better sonically. He opens “She Is Fire” which plays into classic rock n’ roll trope left and right from the Chuck Berry style blues lead guitar from the verse which sounds similar to “Get Back” from The Beatles. Overall, it’s a solid song with good delivery but I can’t say there was much of a signature sound with this sound.

Next up is “Oceans and Weather” which is where Pritchard starts to shine. The song is a reaction to his brother who has Asperger’s syndrome (a form of autism) asking “Is there something wrong with me.” It’s an enjoyable song that is warm and feeds into an intimate singer/songwriter vibe. His vocal delivery is top notch here. 

The next song “The Halfway Man” has the same tones and texture as “Oceans and Weather.” It’s melancholy, warm and nostalgic. The song seems to be about finding love. My interpretation is that finding love can fill you up according to Prichard. I’m not sure Eckhart Tolle would agree. Either way the song is arguably the highlight. Pritchard reverts to rocking out in a ’60s type of way on “Daisy.” It’s a solid song but very straightforward composed of a couple major and minor chords.

It’s obvious that Pritchard has talent but I’d like to hear him take some more chances and dig a little deeper into what defines his style. There isn’t anything inherently bad about the songs; I just thought I didn’t have a very good idea of what Pritchard is bringing that felt uniquely his. 

Overall, this is a solid release and I hope to hear more of his evolution.

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