Claire Walding is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter located in San Diego, CA. Her latest album Encanto is based off the neighborhood she currently resides in. According to the artist, the neighborhood is one of the only places you can still get a plot of lush land close to the city. Walding has lived there for two years with her family and this is where most of the songs were inspired and written. The album – which is very much centralized in place – gets played out in the very recording process. According to the artist, “the album is about having a space that enchants you and allows you to feel that you can be your most vulnerable selves at all times.”
Walding (lyrics/guitar/vocals) backed by Daniel Westrick (guitar/bass/sound engineer), Ted Stern (pedal steel/banjo/violin), Mike Reedy (percussion), Jules Steward (percussion), Sam King (vocals) and Max Walding(vocals), recorded this album mostly outside in Walding’s beloved neighborhood on Westrick’s patio. The warmth from recording outside could be heard in the album as traces of the outdoors get filtered in and if you strain hard enough you can probably hear dog barks, cars passing by and the occasional bird chirping. The very environment of the recording also colors the vocals and music, as Walding’s voice is permeated with tons of reverb. The distortion and fuzziness could also be felt in the instrumentation which really adds a unique flavoring to the music. Encanto aptly enough starts off with “Welcome to Encanto,” where a laid-back vibe is executed in the intro. Layered vocals sung in a much-improvised way sounds out. The vibe felt really refreshing and sounded a lot like the band was warming up their vocal chords. This felt very much like an intro. The acoustic guitar readies listeners for some more mellow vibes on “Freeport.” Walding’s vocals carry with it tons of reverb. The golden sounds spin a very nostalgic and sentimental sound. Strands of the violin buoys this track. Walding’s haunting vocals really conjure a sound similar to that of Lana Del Rey or Mazzy Star. A touch of blues really rounds out her sound. Stripped-down guitar work builds on a melancholy vibe on “Tribute to Daniel Johnston.” The feels are slow sauntering and will really grow on listeners. Walding’s vocals are ethereal and chilling. The song felt like a definite slow burn with evocative notes of country-blues making you feel loose and easy. This is a great track to relax to. On “Hilda,” Walding’s vocals are haunting. Once they enter, listeners will feel themselves easing into the smooth elegant layers that also pick up on folk, alt-country and Americana fastenings. Walding’s vocals were a good mixture of earthy and celestial vibes. It felt like a healthy stew with lyrics that will really ground listeners. She sings about feelings that do not fade but only continue to grow stronger over the years. On “Sweet Nothingness,” noodling on the guitar brings in more of the band’s warm sound here. Walding’s sparse vocals on this track really added to the simplified sounds, carrying with it a wealth of underlying emotions. Sounds of conversations and children playing outside could be heard in the backdrop on the 0:40 second long closer “Waving Goodbye.” The track felt very unrehearsed and shows the band at some of their best, playing outside in the elements where they can draw from their natural environments in creating a sound that is organic and unique to the band. I think Walding and the band unfalteringly delivers on this album. The music is sometimes played off-key and I thought this added to the charisma of the band. The group seems to be playing for their ears only and with this album, audiences get a very insider’s peek into musicians at their most intimate and vulnerable. I greatly enjoyed the spontaneous vibes on this record. The songs were heartfelt and I appreciated the band’s warm delivery. The album contained many pleasant surprises well worth exploring. Be sure you have a listen today!
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