Soak – Before We Forgot How to Dream
SOAK’s debut album, Before We Forgot How to Dream, is an exquisite, melancholy fourteen-track album. My Brain, which is a beautiful instrumental start to the album, sees SOAK (aka Bridie Monds-Watson) showcase the opening narrative of her formative years growing up in Northern Ireland. The minute-long track segues into B a nobody, where the use of electric guitars accompanied by a strings section is perfect for a relaxed Sunday, with SOAK’s chalky vocals taking centre stage.
Tracks such as Blud and Sea Creatures, which were both released as singles from the album, are receiving wide attention and air play on the radio, making a name for the 19-year-old in a short amount of time. Each one showcases SOAK’s talent for music and, in particular, how remarkable her song writing skills are. Blud, which sees SOAK herself showcase a hidden talent for drumming, is beautifully written, while Sea Creatures is fun and catchy, displaying personal teenage thoughts and vulnerability with lyrics such as: “The Stars and the moon remind me of you.”
A Dream to Fly is another instrumental track, which marks the halfway point of the album, and conveys a different sound and approach from the poignant Before We Forgot How to Dream. 24 Windowed House has a heavenly guitar, with soft melancholy vocals making it a highlight of the album. There are noticeable similarities to fellow folk singer Laura Marling. However, the openness and song topics are comparable to US blues singer Valerie June, whose main topic of song writing is family.
Garden is the most fast-paced track from the album, with heart-felt lyrics such as “waste my time on you”, and a personal insight into the singer’s complex emotions. Meanwhile, it is mesmerising listening to the acoustic guitar on Shuvels, which brings SOAK’s spiritual style of music to life. Before We Forgot How to Dream is a stunning debut album and signals great things to come. Its narrative has a distinctive beginning, middle and end, and indicates a notable, fresh talent in the UK.
Chloe Dobinson
Before We Forgot How to Dream is released on 29th May 2015, for further information or to pre-order the album visit here.
Watch the video for B a noBody here:
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