(2021) Reb Fountain - IRIS


Review:
Hailing from New Zealand, Reb Fountain elevates her unique brand of noir folk-punk to new heights with her latest album, IRIS. Fountain was born in San Francisco before moving to the small port town of Lyttelton, just outside of Christchurch. She joined artists like Aldous Harding, Marlon Williams, and Delaney Davidson in developing New Zealand’s ever-growing alt-folk scene. She also created her self-titled debut album, released in 2020 via Flying Nun Records to critical acclaim and multiple awards, followed by a sold-out tour of the country. Recorded at Sublime Studios with co-producers Simon Gooding and Dave Khan, IRIS, takes the signature sound of her previous record and builds upon it, blending pop, folk, and rock influences to create a record as smooth as it is beautiful. Of the creative approach she took towards this album; Fountain explains: “I tried to catch the light refracting – the full saturation of suchness – and remain open to whatever emerged.” This attitude shines through when listening to the record, as a variety of instruments and tones flow together to compliment the central sound captured by Fountain. On the complex themes explored on the album, Fountain explains: “‘IRIS’ provided me an opportunity to speak my unspoken, to reflect what I have seen and experienced from within and to bear witness. These songs are a reminder of a map to a place we all know.” While abstract in its approach, the introspective themes of the album and the idea of exploring one’s own “unspoken” will likely resonate with many listeners. The record’s opening track, Psyche, starts us off with a slow and solemn atmosphere. Violin and piano notes accompany Fountain’s delicate vocals, which largely take centre stage. At the track’s mid-point, the smooth percussion and bassline join the fray, bringing with them a dark yet groovy feel. Fountain’s poetic lyrics shine through on this track, as they do on the whole album, with her cryptic yet powerful imagery: “Black death at our heels we slept for days, in love the distance an endless wake, towing behind our weathered braid, rudder and sail bend.” Of the song’s themes, Fountain explains: “Psyche’s tale is the story of our soul – her hero’s journey, a reflection of our human condition and the perfect framework for mapping our very personal voyage amidst COVID, capitalism, and climate change.” In contrast to the previous track, Foxbright brings a more relaxed and serene sound, with soft finger-plucked acoustic guitar notes driving the song forward. One of the most striking aspects of the album is the vocal range Fountain displays on each track. One minute, she brings her voice down to a deep and sorrowful level as on Psyche, the next, she offers smooth high tones, as she does for the more calming feel of Foxbright. Changing up the tempo once again, Invisible Man starts with some light background percussion and a smooth bassline to introduce the most danceable song of the album while still maintaining the eerie underbelly present throughout the record. This was the feel Fountain was aiming for with this track, as she explains that the song was inspired by “midnight strolls in lockdown, Bob Dylan, and ghost hunts.” Following this, crowd favourite of the IRIS tour and the album’s first single, Heart, displays cool, 70s-style instrumentation and delicate yet slightly haunting vocals, which evoke a similar feel to Childish Gambino’s ‘Awaken, My Love’. The song’s themes also share similarities, as Fountain explains: “I wanted to share a tune for all the unrequited love and longing; the great exodus of connection and the echoes of yearning left behind.” The following track, and second-released single, Beastie, is the track that’s sure to stay in your head well after finishing the album, with its infectious beat, catchy chorus, and smooth bassline. As well as the danceable melody, Fountain’s lyrics on this track also have lots to offer, exploring the theme of identity, choosing who you want to be, while also taking responsibility for who you are. Fisherman is arguably the most hard-hitting song on the album, with Fountain breaking down the issues of social hierarchy and hoping for a fairer and more empathetic world: “We delude ourselves that hierarchy is fair, borders exist, and destiny is real but really we’re swimming in greed and trauma and it’s time we rewrote these stories that foster delusion.” The song’s melancholic piano notes, powerful violin segments, and Fountain’s pained vocals add to the dark and foreboding atmosphere. Next, is Fountain’s cover of Swim to the Star, originally written by Peggy Seeger and her son, Calum MacColl. The song’s repeating piano notes, and slow string sections allow Fountain’s sombre vocals to take centre stage and bring the cover to life. Seeger herself was also impressed with the cover and contacted Fountain to give her appreciation and blessing. Lacuna brings back the dark groove of tracks like Heart and Beastie, with its thumping drums and deep bass that wouldn’t be out of place accompanying a badass slow-mo shot from the ending of an action movie. As Fountain explains: “Lacuna is the space for our voice to emerge into. A new dance that welcomes you into the void, to the all. It’s a reckoning, an opportunity to expand and contract anew.” By contrast, the album’s title track opens with a soft, Erland Cooper-esque string section before the record’s signature smooth percussion joins the ensemble. With this being the most serene and calming song on the record, its themes of love and embrace are able to shine through. Bringing the album to its conclusion, Intermission feels like a culmination of all that has come before. Its smooth beat and dazzling instrumentals feel like the natural end for this dark and powerful journey, as a deep-voiced Fountain repeats the final song’s mantra: “This is how we make it out alive.” A dark and atmospheric experience, ‘IRIS’ elevates the sound of Fountain’s previous record and explores some abstract yet highly relatable concepts. As she explains: “I wanted and needed to give voice to the essential human spirit; to conjure and hold and commune with the very real, valid, and invaluable voices within and around me.” With ‘IRIS’, Fountain expertly weaves a variety of influences together to create an incredibly focused, deep, and powerful record that won’t be easily forgotten.





Track Listing:
1.Psyche 05:51
2.Foxbright 03:04
3.Invisible Man 03:50
4.Heart 03:55
5.Beastie 03:08
6.Fisherman 04:07
7.Swim To The Star 03:22
8.Lacuna 03:52
9.Iris 05:07
10.Intermission 04:56


Media Report:
Genre: indie-folk, indie-pop
Country: New Zealand
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits