Listen to Soak (aka Bridie Monds-Watson) for a few seconds and it will instantly become apparent how emotive, flawless and just damn beautiful her voice is. The fragility of her vocals are matched perfectly with light piano work and a steady beat.
It’s a slow moving, sombre kind of album; so don’t be expecting any pop-ballad, Mariah Carey-esque tracks. Instead this is the kind of album that you listen to while walking to the shops, sitting outside on a sunny day or spending some time with someone you care for. It’s cheesy, but you can’t help but feel them feels while listening to these tracks.
‘Blud’ and ‘Sea Creatures’ are highlights in the first half of album and have that whimsical yet heartbreaking quality to them. Everything is light and airy but the content couldn’t be more different.
As a point of difference for other releases, and a sign that the order and content has really been thought out, it’s separated by instrumental pieces that seem to act as a buffer between styles of different tracks. ‘My Brain’ welcomes the album in and ‘A Dream to Fly’ marks a darker and more guitar heavy section of the album.
For the last half, make sure you give ’24 Windowed House’, ‘Reckless Behaviour’ and ‘Oh Brother’ a listen. For anyone who’s a fan of Laura Marling, this is an album you need to pick up.
Reviewed by Amanda Sherring
