Abbie Ozard is back. The Manchester singer-songwriter has released “Backbone,” her first new single in a couple of years and a fuzz-drenched, hook-driven track that announces her return with real force. It follows her 2024 debut album ‘everything still worries me’ on House Anxiety, and picks up exactly where that record left off in terms of emotional precision and melodic instinct.
The song tackles the quiet self-destruction that comes from conflict avoidance. “Keeping peace and saying sorry too much can cost you your voice,” Ozard explains. That theme lands with the kind of directness she’s built her reputation on, and the track’s raw, empowering energy makes the point without belaboring it.
Ozard has earned consistent support from BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders and Huw Stephens, landed a “BBC Introducing Track of the Week,” and drawn praise from The Times, The Independent, DORK, The Line of Best Fit, The FADER, and more. Headline tours, a debut Glastonbury appearance, and European support dates with Briston Maroney have made her one of the UK indie scene’s most reliable live acts. “Backbone” makes clear she’s only getting sharper.