With only seven songs and a playing time of about twenty minutes, Patrick Watson's seventh studio album can rather be called an ep, but fortunately there is plenty of splendor to discover in that short time. Watson drew inspiration from writers such as Virginia Woolf, Denis Johnson and Samantha Schweblin. The corona pandemic made Watson reflect on connection and despair. As we have come to expect
… from him, a melancholy undertone is emphatic. The beautifully orchestrated opening track is exactly what you would expect from him and strongly brings out the fragile aspect of his music. However, there is also room for experimentation. For example, modular synthesizers were used because Watson wanted the electronic sound to lean as closely as possible to the acoustic instrumentation. Those synths offer a nice complement to his more fragile sound and actually give the whole thing a darker undertone. In this way, Patrick Watson subtly breaks new ground in a special way, without losing his signature style. (JvQ)more
