The debut album, Forget What Makes it Glow by Isadora Eden could be the perfect definition of ‘summertime sadness’.
The self-described ‘sad slowcore’ artist is creating music for those slow motion moments like walking home alone after a party and doom scrolling until the sun comes up.
With Corey Coffman (Gleemer, Soft Blue Shimmer, Modern Colour) at the helm of recording, producing, and mixing and Edsel Holden (Hovvdy, Katy Kirby) mastering, Isadora’s debut album also features bandmate Sumner Erhard on all things rhythm (drums, percussion, and bass).
On partnering with Sumner, Isadora says,
I like really sad music a lot more than Sumner does, and I think that’s what makes it a nice balance.I love sad music, but I don’t want to write a full album that’s just slow, sad and relentless. I think writing with Sumner, he brings a little bit more upbeat elements. For example, Frightened Rabbit, some of their songs sound devastating, but some of them sound like upbeat pop songs, and then you listen to the lyrics and it’s really sad. Between the two of us, it balances out so we’re not writing super-sad music all the time.
Isadora further adds about the collaboration,
You know, we met and tried out writing together and really liked the way our different influences combined, so the last EP is more shoegazey. This coming album still definitely has shoegaze influences and that dreamy vibe, but it’s a little more vocally focused and has more audible influences of indie pop or indie rock, a little more on the dream-pop side of shoegaze.
Within the 11 tracks, Isadora channels those unbearable memories of religion, nostalgia, love and loss.
The lead single from the album, “Haunted”, explores moving past trauma not through just lyrics but through sound and the duo deftly accomplish this with an infectious bass that haunts and heartfelt lyrics.
On the song “Haunted”, Isadora explains,
I tried writing a lot of songs about this experience, for years, and it never came out right. When I first finished writing just the rhythm guitar and vocals before sending it to Sumner, I was already pretty sure this would be one of my favourite songs I’d ever written. Once we started working on it together and incorporating Sumner’s ideas, I was really sure. I cried after tracking the vocals for this one and we had to take a break and go on a walk. My favourite parts are when the first chorus hits and the outro vocal layering.
But it’s a song like “Still” that speaks of love of all kinds that echoes with a refined touch – musically and lyrically it resonates with a beautiful sway like a willow tree on a summer evening. It’s soft and gentle but is rooted in power.
Isadora says this about the track,
I love the way the synth line mimics the lyrics on ‘in and back out’, and the building, somewhat-frantic feel of the bridge amid an otherwise more calm song. It’s about that love that you choose to stick with throughout whatever happens. We used to live in a house that was built in the 1890s and shot the video there.
Regarding the song “Bloodymary”, she says,
‘Bloodymary’ is about the dissonance of having really good and really bad things happen to you simultaneously. For example planning a pool-based staycation the day your city has the worst air quality in the world, or having a really great night and waking up to find your cat has died. The video is animated by Jef Caine and uses pictures by Jordan Altergott, it continues more of the spooky surreal feeling from our previous videos. We also used some of the stills from this video for our LP merch.
The bass in “Bloodymary” is addictive and seductive and Isadora vocally matches that seduction. The pairing is so haunting and painfully beautiful that I can’t stop thinking about it.
But for me, it’s the lyrical stand out track “Hands-me-downs” that truly captures the essence of Isadora and Sumner’s collaboration. There is a confident swagger and sense of self in the song. It showcases their strengths and their belief in not only their work but in each other. It’s divinely gorgeous.
If one is in the throes of ‘summertime sadness’ feelings, then Forget What Makes it Glow is the perfect soundtrack for those feelings. It will comfort, haunt, and lend a caring shoulder to lean on.
MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Drive Thru”, “What Else is On”, “Bloodymary”, “Rocks”, “Hand-me-downs”
FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Hand-me-downs”, “Bloodymary”
