Rating: NNNN
Four years ago, reclusive 18-year-old Charlotte Loseth began her soundscapes project Sea Oleena on GarageBand. Since then, she’s left small-town Saskatchewan for Montreal, self-released several EPs and scored a record deal. But the crux of her music – dense and dreamy sonic journeys via circuitous guitars, vibrant strings and whispered vocals – has remained intact.
Her debut full-length will give you goosebumps one moment and break your heart the next. Piercing piano on the epic 11-minute track Vinton, LA is paralleled by a looming orchestral cloud in the background. The cold undertones in Paths counterbalance Loseth’s warm voice, which delights in stretching out each syllable. Sharp, seesawing strings gracefully ascend on If I’m, before giving way to curt strikes of piano and jolts of brooding electronic beats. Then there’s the title track, a slow-burner that hints at lightness through the melancholic layers but never quite escapes the dark.
Top track: If I’m
