Mann. Phair. Bush. Van Etten.
That may sound like the back four of a cup-winning German football team (it still might be, I haven’t checked), but it is actually a few of the influences that hover over Jessie Kilguss’ music. Think of it as the “if you liked that, you’ll like this” list on music platforms.
Following on from her gorgeous previous single, “Great White Shark”, and also beating a path toward What Do Whales Dream About at Night? her latest album, which drops later this month, “Sleepwalking Heart” is another slice of elegant and eloquent indie-folk. And while it is easy to reference classic writers of an earlier era and suggest the influences of modern greats working in a similar field, as I have above, she builds up her own solid and unique reputation with every release. She establishes herself as a rival rather than a follower of such luminaries. Or, put another way, Jessie Kilguss becomes ever more Jessie Kilguss with every musical move she makes.
And “Sleepwalking Heart” is peak Kilguss. It is soothing yet dark. It is drifting yet purposeful. Heart aching yet optimistic. Nostalgic but of the now. Gentle but poignant. Honest and slightly other. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
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Great White Shark
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