I’ve heard a good number of Roo & The Howl songs over the past year or so, but none have been quite as compelling as “Give Me Time.” From the Goldfrapp-ish opening to the random fits of guitar in the opening verse, the song is never what you expect it to be. What could have been a fun, poppy jaunt turns into a loud, brash ballad with Bekah Wagner’s voice whispering above the banging piano.

Wagner hails from the Rocky Mountains, but her voice reminds me of another songstress from my region here in the midwest, Milwaukee’s Heidi Spencer. Both singers have a way of eluding to how big their voices can go without actually going there. It’s a device most never bother to learn. There’s a depth of intimacy that can be reached when the listener knows you’re holding something back, and Wagner uses it effectively here.

Roo & The Howl is dropping a full-length record, Me/We, on May 20th. If you like what you hear above, you can purchase the song on Bandcamp. While there you can also pre-order the album either in the digital format, or on vinyl.