One to watch: Jacob Alon

An otherworldly voice and the UK’s favourite antidepressants are unlikely companions in this remarkable Scottish singer-songwriter’s work

Every so often, a new voice comes along with the alchemical combination of fragile beauty and poetry that has the power to seemingly stop time in its tracks. It’s the magic that has made alternative music pillars of Jeff Buckley and Laura Marling, and it’s a quality that Fife-born Jacob Alon emits in every note.

Rooted in the delicate, finger-picked folk tradition, there’s a timelessness to Alon’s work. But their queer stories of slow self-actualisation and romantic exploration also contain frequently devastating, consistently gorgeous moments that throw modern reference points and a knowingness into the mix. Previous single Liquid Gold 25 is named after a bottle of poppers; Sertraline wryly ends Alon’s forthcoming debut album, In Limerence, with a nod to one of the UK’s most prescribed antidepressants: (“You’re tired/ Well who isn’t, babe/ That’s the price for being awake.”)

In Limerence is released on 30 May via Island/EMI. Jacob Alon tours the UK and Ireland from April to July