Heidi Curtis shares ‘River of Spirit’ ahead of her second EP

Heidi Curtis used to avoid seeing friends when she knew they’d see through the front she was putting on. ‘River of Spirit’, out on 13th November via AWAL, grew out of those times. The acoustic single is the third song the Newcastle songwriter has shared from Summon. It also closes the EP, which arrives on 20th November.

“This song exists because I avoided seeing my friends when I knew they’d see straight through the front I was putting on,” Heidi says. She describes writing it as a way to accept feelings she’d been trying to keep out of sight. They haven’t gone away, she says, but they no longer frighten her. The song is about the moment before you reach out, when admitting how much you need the people you love still feels harder than staying home.

Heidi’s earlier singles from Summon dealt with other kinds of self-doubt. On the title track, she took inspiration from Stevie Nicks as she pushed back against the feeling she hadn’t earned her place. ‘Run’ went somewhere more uncomfortable, drawing on her experience of rituals and superstitions starting to dictate everyday decisions. With ‘River of Spirit’, she brings the EP down to an acoustic close and turns her attention to the friends she’d been keeping at a distance.

Heidi produced all of Summon herself, a first across a full EP. It follows her debut, Hollow Heart. On the new collection, the same person writing about second-guessing herself also made the production decisions, from the Stevie Nicks influence of the title track to the quieter setting she chose for the final song.

Three dates with Blossoms

Heidi has already taken her own songs around the UK on her first headline tour, which came close to selling out. She also supported Rachel Chinouriri in Europe and opened for Self Esteem and Holly Humberstone earlier this year. A week after Summon comes out, she’ll be supporting Blossoms at three shows in three nights. The run starts at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on 26th November, moves to London’s Alexandra Palace on 27th November and finishes at Manchester’s Co-op Live on 28th November.

Listen to ‘River of Spirit’ or pre-order Summon.