Izzie Derry has been on an upswing as of late, one worthy of acknowledgment and congratulations, after a riveting performance at the Glastonbury Festival and even getting on the airwaves with features on BBC Introducing’s “Best of 2025” show and BBC Radio 6. Now, Derry offers us a personal piece to be released on the 20th of this month, one that explores the melancholy of one’s momentum—much like the momentum her career has now picked up—as it tears away from loved ones who are, unfortunately, much more stagnant. “Follow” is a self-produced single, mixed by Sam Clines (South Lanes Studios) and mastered by Jon Astley, leaning heavily into the indie-folk sound with a swaying rhythm and predominantly acoustic instrumentation.
To speak a little about the instrumentation, the fact that this track is self-produced truly drives home Izzie Derry’s virtuosity. The carefree strumming of an acoustic guitar consistently holds our hand through this piece, even with the drip-by-drip introduction of a scooping and sliding bass guitar and a drum kit emphatically pounding out a waltz-like beat. While the end result speaks to a band’s ability to synchronize in most cases, we instead get a thorough showcase of Derry’s mastery of composition and performance alike.
Something I lament in this submission is the lack of included lyrics despite Derry’s reported skill in emotionally impactful lyricism. This is a problem a good handful of artists I’ve covered have faced, where I am left to piece together what I can pick up and make my judgment based on that; however, I understand that in this case, my usual practice will inevitably not do “Follow” justice. One snippet I did manage to hear demonstrates a detail where the instrumentation emphasizes something in the lyrics, even if the intended effect is a small one:
You say
that opposites attract, but
what if we’re on different paths?
’cause why does it feel like
I have to choose
between the
things that I want in life and
what you need?
Here, Derry makes use of pauses and silence between verses to punctuate her point. The gaps between phrases compel the audience to listen carefully and force us to reflect on the thoughts running through the singer’s mind. The song is set up as a confrontation, meant to end in an inevitable split—there’s no better context for this kind of forced reflection. I recognize this as but a mere taste of Derry’s lyrical and musical prowess, yet it is a satisfying one nonetheless.
“Follow” by Izzie Derry will be available to stream on SoundCloud come January 20th of 2026, concurrent with a tour across the United Kingdom and Europe throughout the year. I implore readers on those select continents to buy a ticket and drop by to watch her shows if they can, and for all our readers to give the track a listen when it is released to the public.
Written by Alexei Lee
