Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Ali Welford discovers an album of mesmeric dreamscapes
Self-release
Released: 10.11.23
A remarkable, hitherto under-the-radar talent, Rachael Lavelle is blessed with a flair for offbeat storytelling and a voice whose majestic clarity borders on the supernatural. Vividly evoking pangs of isolation and existential weariness, these twin pillars manifest on one of 2023’s most spectacular debuts, in which the Dublin songwriter embodies a young, directionless woman seeking comfort, meaning, and above all purpose within the hostile confines of adulthood.
It’s a journey which takes in soaring ambient pop (Let Me Unlock Your Full Potential), taught, jazz-tinged minimalism (Eat Clean) and resplendent piano ballads (Big Dreams); each turn as playful, absorbing and spine-tinglingly executed as the last. This mesmeric dreamscape richly merits your attention – don’t sleep on it.
