A sweet, supple, and honest piece of folk pop from an artist who places her own stories and narratives front and centre, ‘In the Light of Dawn’ breaks you down while opening itself up. Charlie Weathersby’s poignant lyricism and serenading vocals alongside the soft and measured acoustic arrangements make for the perfect indie folk record. Entirely done up by herself, through a guitar, a mandolin, and a midi keyboard, it uses its minimalist aesthetic to the fullest. Their work is reminiscent of a Phoebe Bridgers, a more haunting and mellow tone compared to a more boisterous or vibrant optimism of a more poppy folk record.
“In the Light of Dawn” is, at its heart, about the messy, conflicting feelings one experiences in and about their relationships. A large portion of the record’s influences stem from a very personal place within Weathersby but there’s also pockets and portions that draw from their favourite show ‘The Golden Girls’.
A tune like ‘Oklahoma’, which harkens to a place and the feeling within that space is so powerfully sombre and melancholic that you’re drawn into the world with imagination and complete surrender. ‘Bury My Heart’ takes a similar tonal element but is more focused on relationships and the messy complexities and struggles that go within them. There’s a marked departure in style on a track like ‘I’ll Hold Onto This’. The slightly more jovial piece still retains the more washed over style that Weathersby employs but does so with an acoustic rhythm and riff that has you singing alongside. Even a song that superficially might come across as the most dark like ‘When I Dream About Dying’, has a sense of beauty and love embedded within it.
It’s not your run of the mill folk album, it has a distinctive style that’s loaded with a dark beauty.