Following 2016’s Upsweep, Canadian artist Hannah Epperson has now released the album’s eagerly awaited second half, Slowdown.
Armed with just her violin and a loop pedal, Epperson has created an innovative collection, with two distinct versions of each track, the “Amelia” and the “Iris.” Derived from the idea of two opposing worlds coming together to form a fictional character of a narcissistic and alienated young man, the versions of each song stand in stark contrast with each other.
Combining folk-inspired, sweeping strings alongside pulsating beats and Epperson’s twinkling crystal-clear vocals, the “Amelia” version of album opener “20-20” is a haunting slice of electro, folk-tinged pop. The “Iris,” however, is more stripped back, a gentler offering, relying simply on the power of Epperson’s impressive vocal range and delicate instrumentation for effect.
The album continues in this vein, the two opposing versions of each track contrasting and clashing, in the most effective way. As the throbbing beats and eerie, ethereal layers of sound of the Amelias are juxtaposed with the stripped-back melancholy and delicate emotion of the Iris, Epperson has created a surreal and cinematic soundscape.
With each track offering its own soaring majesty, Slowdown fuses together elements as wide-ranging as folk, trip-hop, electronica, and honey-sweet pop. Epperson has shown herself capable of creating something utterly unique, and completely spellbinding. A truly impressive, genre-defying collection from this young artist.
Slowdown is out on 16th February via Listen Collective. You can catch Hannah Epperson live in London this Spring:
Thursday, 1st March 2018- Shoreditch Town Hall, London (supporting RY X)
Tuesday, 10th April 2018- Servant Jazz Quarters, London, Tickets
