It’s been three years since Bess Atwell released a full-length album, and in that time the Brighton-based singer-songwriter has come to understand and challenge her reluctance to fully open up. The process of writing new material for her third album ‘Light Sleeper’ seems to have helped her discover a new vein of truth to her work and put aside previous insecurities. The result is a record which combines her distinctive lyrical skill with new sonic themes.
The first track, ‘Everyone Who’s Not In Love With You is Wrong’, opens with an unexpectedly unsettling sound while Atwell’s close-up vocals release the lyrics gradually. It takes some time for the message to become clear, but once it does, it hits hard. “You called yourself broken / that’s just how people are / that’s how the light gets in / And I’m blinded.
” This and the next two tracks combine to build an introspective yet liberating picture. There’s an unmistakable Bess Atwell sound, but it feels enriched, no doubt thanks to the influence of producer Aaron Dessner ( The National )). ‘Release Myself’ is arguably the album’s strongest song: there are synths, a forceful sort of build and a shimmering quality to it all.
It’s timeless, triumphant and liberating, well illustrating Atwell’s skill at painting feelings and themes through music. ‘Sylvester’ follows: crisp, well sung, and held up on a beautiful lyrical framework of clever rhyming schemes. That’s a firm start, although the st.
