BOWILLIA
Debut Album: Faultlines
Bella and Dan (Bowillia) came to me in August 2023 with a huge task to record and release a 10 track album by the end of the year. Some songs were more complete than others and this task of recording, producing and mixing this album was something I was excited for. After receiving the demos/jam videos I refined the structure and recorded the drums and bass. With a back and forth with Bella and Dan we ensured that the drums were on the right track with the overall sound of each songs. Once we were happy, we tracked the acoustic and electric guitars followed by vocals. Finally I worked on some programming, tracking synth, piano and some extra auxiliary layers to complete the songs. Spent a few weeks mixing, working closely with the band to capture the tone they were going for and sent if off to Michael Carver for mastering.
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Jam-packed with awesome tunes, the album opener ‘Trading Hours’ is a clear highlight. It starts as a gentle guitar ballad, with the percussion soon kicking in before Healey’s electric guitar takes the volume up a notch mid- song as Sola soulfully croons about “dreaming of a life where I choose to start again”. A folksy tale about fixing mistakes and new beginnings, ‘Trading Hours’ is the ideal introduction to Bowillia and what you can expect from Faultlines – an emotive collection of guitar-based tunes powered by Sola’s soothing tones. Wonderful stuff.
By Tobias Handke (The Note)
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This is the first time Bowillia has made its way into the CityMag ears, and we are here for it. Their debut album titled Faultlines is folky and heartfelt. It showcases the complex voice of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bella Sola, alongside lead guitarist Daniel Healey. Our top pick was track six titled ‘Colourblind’. Bella and Daniel say this is their representation of breaking free from a toxic relationship, and it’s a song we simply can’t get enough of.
CityMag
Additional Material
Alongside working on the music, I also orchestrated this photoshoot and a live versions of a few of the songs.
