Alice Sloan Finds Her Way Back To Her Creative Spark On “Within You”

Belfast alt-rock artist Alice Sloan’s first single, “Within You”, introduces the world of her debut EP, Born Of Stars/Bound To Burn. Dreamy and shoegazey, with a bubblegrunge edge, the track explores what it feels like to reconnect with the passion and creativity that can get lost along the way.

That sense of rediscovery suits an artist whose music is built around vulnerability and contrast. Sloan’s songs move between softer, more dreamlike moments and sharper bursts of intensity, giving them a feeling of attack and release. On “Within You”, that push and pull helps bring the song’s inward-looking theme to life.

Sloan first picked up a guitar at 13, driven by the teenage ambition of becoming the next Kurt Cobain. Since then, she has taken in a broad mix of influences, from Deftones and PJ Harvey to Mannequin Pussy and Trophy Wife. After moving through different styles, she has developed her own sound: a soaring, seething blend of whimsy, goth and gaze.

“Within You” draws on that mix while keeping its focus on a personal turning point. Its dreamy textures give the song room to breathe, while its grungier edge keeps it from drifting too far into softness. The result is a track that holds onto both sides of Sloan’s sound: hazy and reflective, but with a restless energy underneath.

As the first single from Born Of Stars/Bound To Burn, “Within You” offers an introduction to Sloan’s distinctive take on alt-rock and the emotional contrasts at its centre. Fans of Blondeshell, Trophy Wife and Mannequin Pussy may find plenty to connect with in its blend of shoegaze atmosphere and bubblegrunge bite.