Heartland Rock met Pagan Pop in Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals’ Single, Witching Hour –

Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals evoked the arcane atmosphere of Echo and the Bunnymen and the spiritual soul of Stevie Nicks in their heartland pop-rock Halloween hit, Witching Hour. The Cornwall-rooted singer-songwriter casts a sound that feels like both an incantation and an emancipation, pouring authenticity into each cadence with vocals that switch between ethereal harmony and fiery proclamation.

Her Americana twang belies her hometown roots, but there’s no faking the stridency in this celestial cosmos of melody, impassion, and tonal transcendence. Bailey’s voice proves her place in the dream-pop sphere, yet it’s the earthiness beneath that shimmer which gives this track its gravitational force. Pagan tradition is the thematic skeleton, but it never sinks into gimmickry. Witching Hour isn’t costume music. It howls with a voice of its own — part haunted hymn, part unflinching reclamation. If American Horror Story: Coven had been scored by artists who channel energy rather than aesthetics, this single would have headlined the soundtrack.

After rising to acclaim with solo storytelling that earned praise from The Times, Vogue, and The Metro, and support from BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Bailey Tomkinson formed her band The Locals, shifting her style towards widescreen heartland pop-rock. Her growing list of achievements includes supporting Keane and Simple Minds, performing alongside Sheryl Crow, and turning stages at Boardmasters, Wilderness, and The Great Escape into sermons of soulful sincerity. With the new Witching Hour EP, the band pushed into new sonic territory with the same lyrical backbone that made her a national name.

Witching Hour is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast