SOAK – Before We Forgot How To Dream

Gorgeous debut from a powerful young talent...

At 18, SOAK – real name Bridie Monds-Watson – has already experienced the biggest possible boost to her fledgling career. Last year's 'Blud' EP not only helped her play Glastonbury under the BBC Introducing banner, but it also led to a pivotal signing with Rough Trade which saw her ascend to the Radio 1 A List with 'Sea Creatures'.

It's all deserved, and while it may be condescending to keep referencing her years, there's a sense that she's more authentic than the horde of 20-somethings who would willingly sacrifice a digit or two to be given the same opportunities.

That said, 'Before We Forgot How To Dream' arrives free from expectations imposed on it by her modest but essential successes so far. Bridie's taken all the applause as encouragement to carry on as she's always done, chronicling her social experiences in simple, melodic ditties.

At its songwriting best, the record feels like a set of observational short stories. There's the tale of familial discontent on 'Blud', an affectingly acute observational narrative atop a naively simple melody – a juxtaposition she uses throughout. Her home experiences in Northern Ireland have a spectral presence in these performances, as in the school yard on 'Sea Creatures' which Bridie revisits to detail the bullying of one of her close friends on account of her sexuality.

Sonically, Bridie goes for a stripped-back approach that often works in her favour. Occasionally it can be sapping and unadventurous, as on 'Shuvel', but even the weaker moments are littered with hints that her sound could easily evolve into something much more ambitious. Both 'Reckless Behaviour' and 'Hailstones Don't Hurt' feature some ambitious synthetic tinkering, perhaps finally warranting the frequent critical comparisons with Cat Power, though at the very least indicating she could easily slide into a larger pop-oriented sound.

The album's greatest moments, besides the reappearance of the immersive '24-Windowed House' from her 'Blud' EP, include the frantic and cluttered 'Garden' which evokes all the urgency of a fraught but intense relationship, or the chiming electric guitars of 'Oh Brother' which sonically reach for something similar to Jeff Buckley. It's also this latter song that houses the best vocal performance on the album in its multi-tracked outro.

Bridie has pulled off a highly polished debut. Her sound is still in its infancy, and – at times – the album's instrumentals can almost be too breathy and spacious. That said, her evident authenticity means she will hopefully continue to push in new directions. Mostly, 'Before We Forgot How To Dream' reads a little like a portrait of Bridie's hero Joni Mitchell as a young artist: irreverent, observational and soulful.

7/10

Words: Tim Hakki

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