REVIEW: Izzy Burns turns pages into songs on her debut album ‘Diary of a Hopeless Romantic’

On her debut album ‘Diary of a Hopeless Romantic’, Moscow, Idaho native Izzy Burns reveals herself as a songwriter who truly feels the musical spirit in the everyday. Emerging after years of toil on the new music scene, the record feels like a living, breathing journal, marked by honesty, humour, and moments of raw vulnerability that trace the messiness of early adulthood.

Right from the start, Burns has had an instinct for turning private reflection into universal connection. Working with producer Taylor James Carroll and a tight-knit crew at Bear Creek Studios, she takes voice memo confessions and transforms them into songs that shimmer with folk warmth and indie-pop colour. Opening track ‘Recovery’ stands out immediately with its playful, blues-flecked groove turns post-heartbreak limbo into something both cathartic and slyly funny. Elsewhere, her arrangements lean into luminous folk textures, nodding toward influences like Brandi Carlile, Fleetwood Mac, and The Lumineers without ever feeling derivative.

But what anchors the album is her own backstory. After a childhood marked by medical challenges that nearly left her without a voice, every note feels like a triumph. There’s resilience in her delivery, but also an ease, as if she’s finally arrived in a space where she can tell her story on her own terms. Songs like ‘Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve’ blur wit and melancholy, while ‘Dreaming On Overtime’ and ‘Never Know’ expand her palette into playful, almost cinematic storytelling.

‘Diary of a Hopeless Romantic’ is about the act of feeling deeply, and throwing yourself into love, loss, and self-discovery without apology. In an era where so much music feels carefully engineered, she offers the sound of an artist still sketching her map, letting us read over her shoulder as she draws.

For those who like their folk-pop laced with grit, humour, and heart, Izzy Burns has just written the first chapter of what promises to be an absorbing story.