The song is a beautifully-produced nugget of retro-contemporary indie soul in the vein of Amy Winehouse, and its visual component finds the singer backed by a loungey tinsel drape, cycling through a variety of costume changes, and utilizing props from flashlights to classroom whiteboards and a classic ribbon microphone to pantomime a day in the life of a music teacher / singer-songwriter, from coffee in the morning to confetti at night.

It sounds like the plot to a movie, but it’s a true story.

Sarah “Essie” Riddle has two personas: an opera and classical singer, and a blues-rock, funk, and soul goddess.

Riddle’s rich voice is a force to be reckoned with as she proclaims, “my phone is my lifeline / with you on my mind.” A smoky guitar riff and a yearning bassline have the same sting as a declined call.