We all need that one artist or band we can just chill out in solitude to with a warm cup of whatever you choose and a lyric book in hand as the night stars watch us fall in love with something way bigger than us. For us, that artist is Nashville songstress Fleurie.
After falling madly in love with the singer’s 2015 Arrows EP, the singer dazzled us yet again just a year later with her cinematic debut, Love and War. Always poignant and graceful, Fleurie’s music has become a refuge from a harsh world. Now, as new album Portals comes into the mix, the singer explores new depths to her craft as we are gifted a beautiful piece of ethereal magic in the span of about 43 minutes.
Opening with the aptly-titled “Explosions of Grandeur,” the singer shares her longing for something more, and as the lush instrumentation builds up around the three minute mark, we just know we’re in for a spiritual ride.
When we got wind that the singer was recording an indie-pop record, we just couldn’t contain our excitement. After Arrows, we had no doubt this was going to be amazing. As the blissful soundscapes of “Supersonic” and “Monarch” come into play, we are proved right. With the overall theme of all things space-related, it’s hard not to transport yourself into a night where all is at peace and everything is worth marveling over. That notion is heavily present in the self-assuring “Constellate,” and “Chasing Stars,” while “Nomad” and “Out Of The Blue” are classic Fleurie all around as the familiar sound of piano mixed with the singer’s angelic vocals fill your headspace, enveloping you into a bubble of safety – something we’ve all been craving for a while now.
Tracks “Future Signs,” “Black Sand Vertigo,” and the Coldplay-esque “A World Beyond” are chock full of scintillating, infectious synths, making it hard to look away, while album closer, “Odyssey,” is a breezy ode to a future epic love – a theme that runs rampant throughout the singer’s catalog. The art of waiting can either be painful or enlightening. Choosing to grow and learn before that special moment is a sign of patience and grace – a timeless virtue worth savoring.
All in all, this record will transport you to another dimension, open up your mind to things you never noticed, and make you feel lighter. Lay your burdens down tonight and take a trip through Portals.
Portals is available now here.
