In 2023, Bec set her sights on creating her very first album. Made alongside Robert Muiños in Naarm, the record is effortlessly infused with Australiana. Mostly written in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, where seemingly uninspired suburbia borders inscrutable bush, the record feels both deliberate and powerful. The songs play with everything from the magic to the mundane, often blurring the line between the two.
Upon first listen to these eleven remarkable songs, the listener is overwhelmed by a sense of assurance. “I wrote a lot of the songs as a self-soothing mechanism,” Bec shares, “But I hope they also provide comfort to whoever listens to them.”
For Bec, the album was inspired by a period of intense personal development. She explains two catalysts for many of the songs; leaving an unhealthy relationship, and reflecting on her religious upbringing.
Overarching these two major life events, as processed within these eleven songs, is a solid, immovable sense of reclaimed power.
Organic, textured piano stars throughout this album. It features heavily on the single ‘Marlene’, and on album standouts ‘Sculpture’ and ‘I Know What You Like’. The latter is sensual, vulnerable; in a world of MIDI instruments, the pure realism and grit of these instrumental arrangements are key.
Bec’s voice is another glowing star on this record. Her vocal range, and the control she has over her tone, is deeply impressive throughout.
In the mix of how beautiful and refined this album sounds, the listener will be further rewarded if they concentrate their attention on Bec’s lyrics.
This record is thoughtful, clear; a confident offering from an artist so clearly in control of every aspect of her craft. With this album, Bec Sykes invites the listener into her world. It is warm, inviting, and feels like letting out some deep breath you have held for far, far too long.
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