Album: Hannah
Artist: Lomelda
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Genre: Indie Folk
Length: 0:40:06
Label: Double Double Whammy
Producer: Hannah Reed/Tommy Reed
Never doubt the quiet people in school...
The fourth studio album that was released by indie folk artist, Lomelda.
The moment you press play on Hannah and "Kisses" starts, you're presented with a timid vocalist accompanied by powerful instruments. The consistent piano pounding in the back, the dragging drum beat, and the booming drone of the bass makes the shyness of Lomelda something that sounds powerful in itself.
This album does feature an instrumental powerhouse in "Sing for Stranger" and "Both Mode". The amount of intensity and power in these two songs, and their ability to still tell a story and captivate the audience, is hard to accomplish with instrumental songs in modern music but Lomelda executes this flawlessly.
The song after "Sing for Stranger", "Wonder" gives Lomelda a source of power that was much needed to change up the sound that could eventually get tedious. The sawing guitar sound in the beginning to the strength of her vocals all joined in by the encompassing sound of the bass all gives this song a more intense feel that provides emotion and energy to Hannah.
Straying away from typical song structure, it's clear that Lomelda creates music that is personal to her, not to make money or fame. The songs each follow a different path, avoiding the classic Intro, Verse, Bridge, Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Chorus, Outro formula. Many songs throughout the record don't feature a typical chorus, but rather a repeated set of lines that make the songs catchy, such as the song "Wonder".
The way Lomelda sings the lyrics is almost like she's speaking to a bunch of friends. They don't take on a typical lyrical structure, but are overall very simple. The simplicity of these lyrics give the listener the ability to focus more on the roaring instrument parts than the messages behind the songs.
Even though the instrument parts are typically intense and her voice overall is held back, the way this album is mixed brings out the best in both aspects. There are never points where the instruments overpower her voice and there are never times her voice is simply too timid for the entire song. The perfect contrast between the two gives Hannah a special vibe that is personal to Lomelda.
The most exciting part about Hannah to me is the constant surprises given throughout. Starting off the album with a typical indie folk song and then continuously changing the sound, adding new instruments, experimenting with noises, and overall keeping the same vibe is impressive. Every song gives something different and it's impossible to get comfortable while listening to this album as it'll continue to shake you out of your seat. This is far from an album to dance to, but an album to resonate with you. The way she performs, sings and writes makes it feel like she isn't making music for anyone else but herself, although she just so happens to release it to the world. I'm impressed with her sound, especially after the first two songs "Kisses" and "Hannah Sun" made me believe I knew exactly how she sounds. The songs "Reach", "It's Lomelda", "It's Infinite" and "Tommy Dread" all have similar vibes as it's distinguishably her, but overall Lomelda is able to change her sound so often that every song is exciting to listen to. For a really small artist with a shy voice, the sound that prospers out of my speakers is massive, impressive and makes me excited to see what she does next...
Favorite Songs: "Reach", "It's Lomelda", "Tommy Dread", "Both Mode"
Least Favorite Songs: "Kisses"
Production Quality:
Mix = 8.5/10
Innovation = 7/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 9.5/10
Lyricism = 6/10 (Far from complex, but interesting way of writing them)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 7/10 (Timid vocals, slight pitch issues, but overall able to stay powerful somehow)
Instrumental Timbre = 9.5/10
Group Chemistry = 7.5/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 7.85/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!