“I wanna burn it all down, could I borrow a light?“
Tomberlin’s first body of work in 2018, At Weddings, came in amongst the foray of a indie folk-esque music rise to the forefront of the wider scene. With the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Daucus, and Fenne Lily releasing records in the same year, it drew the attention of listeners globally. The drawn back and emotive nature of the genre has since seen artists such as Clairo embrace it and the rise of new stars such as Lizzy McAlpine, while at the time, Tomberlin’s At Weddings was a beautiful affair, akin to a fluttering daydream while a gentle wind breezes through the fibres of your hair. With such an expansion of the acoustic sound, a repeat of the debut record might not suffice in today’s arena of sounds.
This brings us to Sarah Beth’s sophomore record, i don’t know who needs to hear this…, which, while an equally delicate journey as its predecessor, is drenched in character and sweet nuances. These rise to the forefront in opener “easy“. There is a fury to the soft spoken lyrics which meticulously tells its story of a degrading relationship. Being one of two piano-focused tracks, the production on the chords are nothing short of beautiful. There are moments, especially on the higher chords, where it feels as if you’re sat in the same room as the piano being played. The backing, somewhat-rough drum beat and uneven structure add to a rare feeling disjointedness that isn’t often presented. There’s no cute catharsis to be had about the topic at hand, just an uncomfortableness that throws the emotions at the listener in this bold opening track.
i don’t know who needs to hear this… returns to familiar territory on its following tracks, with the acoustic guitar taking the lead. The plucked chords and layered vocals offer up some moments of real serenity. Tracks “collect caller” and “tap” make it difficult for the mind to not drift off into a place of peace, with the latter blending the twang of the acoustic guitar with a soundscape of instruments and a pacing drum beat. It’s a noteworthy development in Tomberlin’s sound that quickly becomes a standout on the record.
The record takes it most surprising turn on adjacent tracks “stoned” and “happy accident“, with the first of the two filled with a pounding beat and electric guitar chords. Beth’s voice reaches soaring highs, where the denied earlier catharsis is finally let out. As it reaches its huge instrumental bridge, the angst and hurt felt in earlier tracks crumbles away in this heartfelt and expressive track. “stoned” fully leans into a grunge rock sound, a paced track with leathered guitars. With both tracks, Tomberlin has ventured into a new sound and excelled at it. It’s very likely that listeners will come away with either of these two as their personal highlights.
Despite being a lengthy journey, i don’t know who needs to hear this… is one worth taking. It will take several listens for each theme, sound, and moment to fully sink in, but with time it becomes a record filled with an eclectic range of emotions and sounds. With such depth of quality in the genre, Tomberlin has delved into her own personal emotions and added a breadth of instrumental talent that should put her at the top with the leading names in the singer-songwriter space.
8/10
i don’t know who needs to hear this… is out on April 29th via Saddle Creek and can be pre-ordered here.