New album from London dwelling indie darling.
Erin Kleh’s previous outing 2019’s ‘I Need Sound’ opened the door for her and ‘Sink to Swim’ should at the very least prop the door open for her audience to follow her into the comfortable and slightly artful space that her music creates. Producer Kristopher Harris brings a clean, warm sound with the vocals highlighted and it is difficult to ignore his Belle and Sebastian connection, particularly on tracks such as ‘Panda’s Song’ which plough the exact furrow of his former charges. The ukulele of ‘Jesus Christ’ also feels somewhat familiar although the vocal delivery on this track is acrobatic and charming.
If there is one comparison that could be applied the album as a whole it would be of a more polished This Is The Kit and of course what makes Kate Stables so compelling is her extraordinary songs that need no other polish than highlighting their craft, whereas here some of the songs need the lift of the production to make them memorable.
And herein lies the problem. This is a strong album that plays its aces (literate lyricism, beautiful production and exquisite musicianship) but still finds itself lacking the full house of having songs that need returning to once the casual listen is done.
