GURLI OCTAVIA – ALBUM REVIEW

Gurli Octavia – I Could Be Blossoming Instead
(Integrity Records)

Release Date: 29th January 2021

The debut single release from Gurli Octavia at the tail end of 2020 was the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel so getting the full album this early in 2021 feels like finally breathing in fresh air when you’ve only been able to inhale dark, dank, smoky tunnel fumes. ‘I Could Be Blossoming Instead’ is the debut long player from the Danish singer-songwriter and even on first listen I can tell that this might just be the record you need in 2021.

‘Chain’ is the opening track of the album and it open with a solitary bass line with Octavia’s vocal joining in to draw your attention away from the noise of the world. The track evolves and emerges in to a slick and soulful alt-pop track to soothe the nerves but also empower your spirit when the weight of the world is on your shoulders. ‘Party’ is up next and there’s a ethereal, dream-like quality to trip-hop meets soul melodies while Octavia’s voice is reminiscent of Nelly Furtado in her earlier days. On ‘I Wasn’t Ready’, there is an exploration of the more folky side of the Dane’s music as the soft vocal tones drift over the patter of percussion and gentle, almost celtic melodies before ‘Slow Life’ takes an uncomplicated acoustic melody and builds upon it in to something that sounds and feels like a long lost Fleetwood Mac track.

Following the interlude ‘Night’ (a genuinely peaceful and beautiful two minutes of intimacy), Octavia unleashes ‘Keep Your Ambitions in Stock’ blends her Fleetwood Mac influence with a more traditional folk vibe to create a timeless melody. On ‘Tomorrow I’m a Man’ there are hints of Laura Marling and Feist while ‘Have & Hold’ has the vibe of uplifting relief that you get at the end of a long winter or a poisonous relationship. Unusually for the middle of an album, Octavia drops a live version of ‘Most of All’ recorded at Atlas, Aarhus, back in 2019 which would be emotional enough were it not for the fact that it reminds us of how much we miss live music. Oh God I miss live music.

‘Vulnerable’ presents another interlude which focuses largely on Octavia’s voice before ‘Spinning’ enters the alt-pop sphere with some 80s style and a real sense of space that is different to the intimacy on the first part of the album. ‘Drinks’ keeps this energy going with a mix of LadyHawke and Christine and the Queens making the bass pop and the synths glide effortlessly all over the mix. The gorgeous guitars of ‘Lilac Rose’ bring back that intimacy but those gorgeous chord changes and the emotional power are pure Florence + the Machine in terms of impact. ‘We Leave the Night Young’ has a real end of movie vibe in a lo-fi, heart-warming story kinda way while the final track, ‘X-Ray’ brings that debut single back to remind us why we fell in love with Gurli Octavia in the first place.

I say final track but if you buy the vinyl version (out 5th February) you will get stripped versions of ‘Party’, ‘Have & Hold’ and ‘Lilac Rose’ as well as additional song ‘Hush Little Soul’ – a honky tonk piano lament that also has a cinematic sense to it but for a darker, more brooding film. It is incredibly easy to use words like timeless, intimate, delicate and beautiful about this album but the really impressive factor here is that Gurli Octavia has presented 19 tracks of unique and individual purity which speak to a range of different emotions…..and this was her debut. Definitely an artist to get involved with in 2021.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/gurlioctaviaofficial

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