From the first acoustic intricate string play on ‘bones’, ‘I started a garden’ almost immediately immerses you in its complex and soothing folk pop tapestry. It’s flowing wit emotion from back to front, backed almost entirely from Her Skin’s ever so subtle yet eloquent vocals alongside a mesh of an acoustic riff that constantly leaves you impressed and in awe. The entire record feels like a strange lullaby, somewhat calming and soothing but also slightly unsettling and introspective.
Where ‘bones’ opens the record with a more much melancholic and calming introduction, ‘confident’ radiates a much more optimistic and empowering energy to get you in the right spirits. Even songs like ‘older’ and ‘sober’, mundane as they may seem on the outside, just echo such universal problems that anyone in their twenties is bound to find themselves grappling with. The entire record feels like a word of advice and a memoir from someone who’s navigated these eternal struggles and has just penned it all down into a scrapbook for you to reminisce through. ‘sober’ in particular hit me the hardest, the rather spirited singing from Her Skin and the washed over acoustic strumming alongside the obvious commentary on its topic.
Fast emerging into her own as an artist, Her Skin’s already performed at numerous festivals including SXSW in Texas, The Great Escape in Brighton, Mondo in New York, Primavera in Barcelona and is due to perform at this year’s Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg later this month. Her singles from the project have already amassed a significant amount of streams, highlighting how she’s been able to touch audiences.
Any fan of subtle and soft folk pop melodies is bound to enjoy this record.