Gabrille Aplin is a British singer/songwriter hailing from Sutton Benger, Wiltshire who first rose to fame by posting acoustic covers of various songs on Youtube. Please Don’t Say You Love me is her fourth EP and her first for Parlophone Records.
“Please don’t say you love me, ’cause I might not say it back,” Gabrielle sings during the chorus of the title track, a delightful folk pop song. It’s something that we’ve all thought at some point, yet it’s not a sentiment you often hear uttered in song lyrics. To that end, Gabrielle wears her heart on her sleeve and remains a brutally honest songwriter here.
“You and I, you and I, you and I, we dream a stranger kind of dream,” she sings during light-hearted “Stranger Side.” She delivers the verses in the rapid-fire, almost spoken manner that’s suited Train so well with their last couple of albums. I especially love how pronounced her British accent is during this song, rendering it all the more charming.
“Rings Round Roses” is arguably the catchiest song on hand. “Rings round roses ’til we all fall down,” she sings and by the end of the song you’ll probably want to sing along. I’ve had the song stuck in my head since I first listened to it — and I’m not complaining at all.
The EP concludes with a piano version of “Please Don’t Say You Love Me,” which is sure to tug at your heart strings. While the original version of the song feels slightly upbeat because of it’s melodious chorus, which has layers of backing vocals, this melancholic version simply features Gabrielle and the piano, making you feel the words that much more, especially since she’s much more emotive in this gorgeous performance.
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