Iona Coburn - The Port

Deep Cover is proud to welcome singer/songwriter Iona Coburn to its tight-knit roster of upcoming talent with her mesmerising début EP The Port (2019). Following exceptional projects from NINA & ROMO and Mike Drones & Loëpa, Iona’s signing represents a natural evolution in the label’s interest in shadowy, forward-thinking electronic pop music, with undeniable crossover appeal.

The Port marries rich, glistening opulence with a pervasive sense of nocturnal isolation.

Written in close collaboration with accomplished multi instrumentalist and producer Barnabas Poffley, the EP effortlessly weaves rich organic sonics with darker, synthesised elements. With lyrical nods to F. Scott Fitzgerald, ‘Diamond’ evolves cinematically; accompanied by horns, rhodes keys and glistening string sections, whilst the stripped-back, sensual slow-jam ‘Pulled Under’ is carried by a warm, ear-worm synth line, rising and falling like the tides.

Penned during a spell working nights at central London’s Groucho Club, Iona’s fascination with the cityscape runs deep - with the heady glitz of the cocktail party forever undercut by the breath of chill night air, and long walks home alone. Across its 4-tracks, The Port sets Iona’s urban wanderlust against a dying relationship with an unnamed lover, who can never understand, and ultimately never compare - 

‘we are sailing ships that pass, and my loving’s out of practice.’

The project concludes with lead single ‘Silence’. Here any remaining twinges of guilty heartache are replaced with a steely defiance; a new dawn and fresh beginnings out of the depths of night. Driven by nostalgic ‘80s arpeggios and sparse, heavy percussion, the track is accompanied by a film noir style visual, with Iona traversing the city at night behind the wheel of a taxi - a guiding light to the transient rogues’ sprawled across her back seat.

Press: ’The Port - EP’ - LISTEN | BBC Introducing Interview | Shift Magazine Interview | OX Magazine Feature | Nightshift Review