.jpg)
Austria's Filiah finds luscious moments on the sweet and strong 'For Someone'. Confident vocals, lacking any studio sheen, lead songs of heartache over pretty acoustic instruments; guitar, bass, and strings. Opener 'Goodbye' has some mashed harmonies eventually finding each other over a steady bass line. '27' is a beguiling campfire number, carefully decorated with sonic elements in the mix. 'In Between' would suit anyone who wants to like Adele, but finds her stuff too mainstream and glossy.
Filiah reaches emotional high points on 'a love song / an ending', cleverly adding a dash of sarcasm to the lyrics ("Who'd have thought I'd ever smile like this?") and loose song structures, slowing the tempo down to an intimate and intoxicating pace. This sense of intimacy is missing on the fine but generic and over-produced title track. Closer 'In A Haunted House', brings the album to a dramatic close, with imagery of flowers, ghosts, and haunted houses symbolizing a complicated relationship. Though the more produced tracks on the album are incongruous with the stripped back and cozy nature of the album's best tracks (A Letter being my personal favourite), this relatively short album manages to feel like a fully formed statement from an artist who is on to something.
★★★