Holysseus Fly – A Red Sea

UK artist Holysseus Fly unveils breathtaking new EP A Red Sea, featuring new single ‘Anchors’ and recent ‘Arms Unfolding’.

A Red Sea lands 19th Sept via Severn Songs and ahead of her biggest UK tour to date in October.

Fresh from her headline performance at Bristol’s Harbour Festival earlier this summer, it’s been a year of highlights for one of the West Country’s most gifted exports and ‘alt-pop princess’, Holly Wellington aka Holysseus Fly. From her Glastonbury solo debut in 2024 to her return this summer as part of Ishmael Ensemble, the critically acclaimed collective she remains central to, Holysseus has been amassing new fans in their droves with her soulful vocals and captivating performances. Her breathtaking live shows have lit up major stages across the UK, including a standout main stage slot at Bristol’s Forwards Festival alongside CMAT, Jessie Ware, and LCD Soundsystem. This year also saw her selected as one of three artists to be resident at The Bristol Beacon, the city’s iconic music venue and creative hub, and she has just announced her largest UK tour to date this Autumn with dates in London, Manchester, Brighton, Bristol and more.

Underpinning Holly’s entrancing artistry, weaving emotional intimacy with bold show-womanship, is a powerful story of triumph over adversity. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 25 (just as she made her Glastonbury debut with Ishmael Ensemble), whilst in recovery she began finding her voice as a solo artist, carving a niche  all of her own. A master of balancing vulnerability with strength in her work, on her new EP, A Red Sea, she channels the rich symbolism of one of the world’s most famous bodies of water, the three-tracker represents a metaphoric parting from the most challenging chapters of her life and crossing into a new one. A Red Sea picks up the baton from last year’s beautiful Birthpool, which received significant support across the BBC 6 Music family and led to a sold-out tour with Nick Mulvey.

Opening with lead single, ‘Arms Unfolding’ , which BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins described as “flipping gorgeous”, and Lauren Laverne included in her own show,  the tone is set for A Red Sea’s captivating sonic trifecta. Holysseus’ trademark style, straddling soulful alt-pop with electronic influences, takes flight here, embracing the themes of empowerment, self-determination and release that serve as a golden thread through her music. Co-written with fellow Bristolian composer and musician t l k (resident artist with Berlin’s boundary-pushing DWAM collective), ‘Arms Unfolding’ is rooted in a shared, introspective approach, their creative synergy giving rise to a tender meditation on reconciliation. Intimate and expansive, the track opens with delicate keys and a sparse chord progression, before driving, atmospheric momentum unfolds into what has become her signature: soaring, emotionally resonant choruses, carried by a voice weighted with depth and intent.

On track two, we are plunged into the arresting, spoken word clarity of ‘Depths’, the EP’s interlude,  and ‘quiet opening, a spacious breath’, where melancholic but meaningfully struck piano chords and the gentle clattering of seashells behind Holly’s vocal give the track a strong sense of the strength and vulnerability that Holysseus captures so effortlessly. It also serves as a literal introduction to new single ‘Anchors’, where emotionally charged vocals and bewitching lyricism draw us into Holysseus Fly’s glittering sonic seabed, finding hopeful treasure amongst the rawness.

Holysseus Fly says:

‘Anchors’ reflects on my double mastectomy, referencing the anchor-shaped scars on my chest. It’s a farewell to pain, a letting go of grief, and a hope for the future, ‘we’ll sail until we’re old’.

A Red Sea is a pearl of an EP that showcase’s Holysseus Fly’s ineffable talent for delivering distinctive alt-pop that’s as emotionally charged as it is unflinchingly honest, showcasing some of her most expressive songwriting to date in the process. Delivered with the same immensity and vulnerability of her live performances, the EP reveals an artist unafraid to explore life’s rawest edges while still reaching for the light. Transformative, captivating and unforgettable, A Red Sea marks Holly’s boldest chapter yet – parting the waves for a clear crossing from troubled waters to brighter days and bluer horizons.

She adds:

“A Red Sea’ represents the parting and closing of the saltiest time in my life, a personal flowing, a search for freedom, and a transition. An emotional crossing into the next phase. The EP is laced with shiny synths and glitter, recorded and produced at my home studio with Waldo’s Gift drummer James Vine”

Since the release of her 2023 debut EP Birthpool, Holysseus Fly has drawn praise across the board. Her blend of intimate lyricism and soaring arrangements earned her a 6 Music playlist for ‘Teach Me’, and continued support from tastemakers including Annie Mac, Lauren Laverne, Chris Hawkins, Jamz Supernova, Craig Charles, and Huey Morgan. Her 2024 single ‘Out Of This World’, released on International Women’s Day, marked another step forward – an empowering, self-produced anthem of hope and determination that further showcased her ability to balance raw vulnerability with sweeping ambition.

Hailed as ‘One to Watch’ by The Guardian, Holysseus Fly continues to cement her place as one of the UK’s most exciting new voices. As vocalist, co-writer and pianist with Ishmael Ensemble, she is a vital presence in the UK music scene, and as a solo artist, she pushes further into resonant, genre-blurring territory. In 2024 she joined Nick Mulvey on a sold-out UK tour before embarking on her own headline run, with rapturously received shows in London, Manchester, and Bristol.

With the release of A Red Sea alongside her biggest UK tour to date – 2025 is already a defining chapter for Holysseus Fly, as she continues to establish herself as one of the most distinctive and compelling artists in the UK today.

23rd Oct – The Hope & Ruin – Brighton
24th Oct – Where Else – Margate
25th Oct – The Lower Third – London
29th Oct – Heartbreakers – Southampton 
30th Oct – Strange Brew – Bristol 
17th Nov – Hyde Park Book Club – Leeds
18th Nov – Yes (basement) – Manchester
19th Nov – Zerox – Newcastle 
20th Nov – The Hug & Pint – Glasgow

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