look at fiona.’s debut EP is a mesmerizing blend of therapeutic acoustic guitar and alien soundscapes that come together to form a project that feels uniquely calming and ethereal. Like being lost in the wilderness and finding comfort in the sounds of animals, bugs and nature existing regardless of you. Between drum machines and dual vocals, the group creates a distinct sound that evokes feelings of Angus and Julia Stone, Field Medic, and Softcult if they were all smushed together via a spiritual blender.
Coming in at twenty minutes, the EP features five cuts with track three being an instrumental. Starting off with rattling hi-hats, willow sung introduces the band with an immediate mood setter. look at fiona. wastes no time acquainting the listener with their weightless guitars and moody vocals as the performers playfully swap lines with each other. As the song continues, its initial drone evolves into an animated shoegaze explosion as aggressive leads accent vocal cues while being expertly blended into the background.
By the end of the first track it is clear that this is an incredibly articulate and well recorded release. The melodies harboured in each song feel featherlight and unobstructed above a mix of warm synth bass and drum machines.
i do twists the good feelings of the opener into a song of stilted reassurance. Eerie chords lead the way as the listener hears the group’s female vocalist deliver an impressively subtle performance while effects and doubles give off a feeling of a reversed vocal somewhere in the mix. Evolving to the song’s sticky chorus of “I do, I do I do, I do”, the band settles the listener in a bed of discordant comfort before traveling to the instrumental track.
Following up with counting song, the band adds a simple but hypnotic rhythm between acoustic picking, making a foundation for an almost spoken-word performance before doing the songs namesake. The final track, look at fiona. is a patient build of impressive sonic textures. Reminding the listener of just how good it feels to get lost in this project.
For a collection of songs at twenty minutes, it feels simultaneously longer than that, but also shorter than that. It is a world that feels incredibly expansive but gone too fast. Like an encounter with a ghost, memorable and fleeting. I cannot wait to hear more about what this group offers! Hopefully, we will have an album to get lost in at some point, but until then I will be keeping these songs on repeat on sunny days and warm nights.
Written by Lando Flakes
