Sarah Schonert - My Unwinding State (Self-Released)

Sarah Schonert, an Illinois-based electronic artist, is back with her fourth and latest album My Unwinding State. Awash with ambient synths and layered vocals reminiscent of early Enya, the record was self recorded by Schonert at her home studio, and directly because of this sounds like the creation of someone tinkering and experimenting in a completely isolated environment. The results are songs like “Break Me Down” and “Laundry Day” that occasionally verge on outsider music, yet are nothing short of captivating precisely because of this fresh and unique spin on traditional pop structures.

Influenced by the theatrics and atypical dynamics of Kate Bush, My Unwinding State feels like a set of compositions just dying for choreography. Some moments are jagged and angular like “Corner,” and others are tremendously beautiful like “Trade My Smile.” Nevertheless, a fantastically overwhelming sense of intimacy pervades the entirety of the album, and the relatively expansive size of it (sixteen songs) gives the listener plenty of room to explore its numerous nooks and crannies. My Unwinding State is an album as ambitious and challenging as it is gratifying and rewarding, with enough in it for everyone to find something to cling to.