Review
There's something almost meditative about settling into Billie Marten's "Feeding Seahorses by Hand," like watching morning mist lift slowly from a still pond. The 2019 record wraps itself in lo-fi warmth and intimate acoustic arrangements, creating a dreamy vulnerability that feels both fragile and assured. Marten wrote these songs in present tense, a deliberate choice that roots each moment in immediacy rather than looking backward. Her breathy vocals drift through tracks like "Mice," which captures the weariness of mental struggle with such subtle grace, while "Blood Is Blue" weaves haunting lines beneath ethereal melodies like shadows moving underwater.
What strikes me most is how the album embraces imperfection as something almost beautiful. The resigned poetry of lines like "born to lose" in "Toulouse" speaks to acceptance rather than defeat, a quiet making peace with life's complications. "She Dances" introduces a jazzier texture that opens up the minimalist palette, adding unexpected color to the acoustic landscape. This is Marten stepping more fully into her own artistic voice, more confident than her debut yet still tender in all the right places. It feels like watching someone find their footing on a forest path they've chosen for themselves. - Zoey
