Timeless, classy, gorgeous, intimate soul decorates this much anticipated debut album from the astonishingly mature 20-year-old British singer-songwriter and poet who truly fulfils all her promise. Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho from Hammersmith in London has Nigerian, Chadian and French heritage, she seems able to span the decades within a few seconds with elements of Al Green to Amy Winehouse, with a dash of Lily Allen in her talky moments, but without the throwaway element. Her sound is also influenced, particular in the guitar styles by Radiohead, particularly on the song Eugene, and also there’s also the brittle beauty of Portishead. The album is a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding her adolescence and the people that shaped it. Hope is both tearful (literally) and heartwarming, Green Eyes is a “defiant call to trust how you feel inside”, and many songs blossom wonderfully with tiny observed detail about people, such as the arguing couple on Caroline who have “strawberry cheeks flushed with defeated rage”. Hurt is an object in less is more, with that classic simple drum sound, guitar riff, and a strong, simple melody to express such universal feelings through the prism of one character, Charlie. The whole album is an emotional, tender, tearful, angry, superbly sensitive collection that will surely stand the test of time and live up to the hype. Out on Beatnik / Transgressive.
Feel free to also check out our favourite albums of 2020 here:
Fiona Apple to Lianne La Havas to Yves Tumor: favourite albums of 2020 – Part 1
Agnes Obel to Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers to Sault: favourite albums of 2020 – Part 2
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