“If only you knew, I can’t prioritise you. I’m alone and there’s nothing you can do.”
A.A. Williams has been one of the most impressive artists to emerge out of the UK in recent years. With her debut Forever Blue, the London-based musician showed the potential to match the quality of American counterparts Emma Ruth Rundle and Chelsea Wolfe. With Williams displaying a cohesive range sitting between declinate guitar plucks and grandiose riffs unleashed on the record. The talent displayed has brought a spectrum of admirers, with many first encountering the solo artist supporting Sleep Token on their 2021 headliner tour. This speaks to the ability of Williams not to be stuck in a narrow avenue, and appeal to a wider audience in terms of their sound.
As many artists enter into their sophomore records off the back of a stunning debut, it comes with the weight of expectation. For A.A. Williams this leads to As The Moon Rests, with the conviction and strong reception of Forever Blue also acting as a solid foundation to draw confidence from. With it’s hour runtime across eleven tracks, it’s a behemoth of a record that can be seen as a daunting prospect to confront and digest. However, those willing to take on that challenge will discover a record full of gorgeous intricacies and moments that deliver a crescendo of emotions.
Opener “Hollow Heart” fires clear warning shots of what is to come, a brooding melancholy backed with sombre strings and a beautifully devastating vocal performance. “Give me time and I will learn, that I cannot do this alone, and that I must accept any help that I can get,” stands as the first of many blows that As The Moon Rests makes to one’s own being. There is a porcelain-like nature to the track that is further embraced on later cut “Pristine“, harboring a tension to how it walks the tight-rope of containing its emotional potency that builds throughout these tracks. This emotion then seeing its release in a huge guitar solo on “Murmurs” or a magnificent string ensemble on the aforementioned “Pristine“.
There is a grace to As The Moon Rests in its countless shifting elements and its ability to switch between sounds effortlessly. Later track “Alone In The Deep” dives into post-metal riffs that fill the tracks larger sound palette, while A.A. Williams laments “I cannot take, the weight of my mistakes, it buckles underneath my step“. Then comes the switch to the raw and drawn back “Ruin“, which follows in the path many artists such as Grouper and Emma Ruth Rundle have taken, in leaving the exposing nature of the acoustic guitar, with its string-talk and raw sound left on display. These, layered in with some gorgeous ambient vocals. make for a haunting track that is nothing short of goose-bump inducing.
This leads into the record’s closing and title track, “As The Moon Rests“, which offers up heightened sense of elevation and ethereal qualities throughout. As the layers build, guided by Williams‘ voice, it’s difficult not to get completely lost in the magic of the track. “I believe as the moon the rests in the sky, we bound you and I” invokes Williams, before the guitars display an elegant clean chord riff that is a treat on the ear. As it exits, there is a confessional defiance that is reinforced by the clang of the cymbals and toned guitars.
Across As The Moon Rests, there is plenty to embraced and there are many tracks such as “Evaporate” with its soul-crushing “I can’t stop the violence in my mind, every day, I try just to survive,” that bear mentioning. There is a scale to the record that demands a level of attention that few records have this year, and while that does perhaps bring into question its accessibility, those willing to venture into As The Moon Rests and learn its subtle complexity will get to admire the work of an incredibly talented artist.
9.5/10
As The Moon Rests will be available this Friday, October 7th via Bella Union and can be pre-ordered here.