Holly Arrowsmith – A Dawn I Remember
(Independent)
Reviewed by Laura Starling.
Folk singer songwriter and award-winning Holly Arrowsmith is just about to release her second studio album. With a few singles already released, her soft, floaty voice promises a slow and thoughtful album ahead. Her decidedly folk sound and gently spoken lyrics pull forward images of rural New Zealand, slipping through the mountains and valleys of the township she grew up in.
Arrowsmith was born in New Mexico before being brought over to New Zealand to be raised in the beautiful central Otago township Arrowtown. She started out singing songs to her sister, slowly over time building her confidence as a musician and finally to releasing her first studio album, leading her to win the VNZMA award Best Folk Album of 2016. For her second Album Holly begun a kick starter campaign to raise the funds, reaching $24,678 – well above her original goal of $21,000. Using the crowdsourced funding she produced this promising, lilting album filled with longing reflections about home and people during her travels. Holly has expressed that this album was written at a time of sadness and longing for her, during a “very difficult but experientially rich time of life”. She felt a loss of identity when moving away from her home town and used the songs she wrote to grapple with that feeling during her travels. A truly southern New Zealand album from start to finish, the songs were recorded in the southern New Zealand town of Colac Bay, then completed at Christchurch’s The Sitting room.
Her connection with her younger sister is immediately apparent on this album. The second track ‘Winter Moon’ addresses sisterly love, discussing the relationship between the two and Holly’s instinct that while her sister is still a child in her eyes, she’s now a grown woman. A dynamic most older/younger sisters will appreciate. ‘Love Together’ is a soft, kind tribute to the love between partners and the support you feel together. The sixth track ‘Every Kingdom’ is slow and thoughtful, voice lilting steadily up and down while she sings about grief and loss. ‘Crying Woman’ discusses Holly’s experience watching a woman crying beside her on the plane and contemplating if she should comfort her or leave her to her sorrow.
My favourite track of the album is ‘Farewell’. It gradually builds energy, the music undulating together to create an emotional punch to the gut. Holly skilfully lowers her voice at the start as though attempting to hide the deep sadness she feels at leaving her home and family. This track is probably one of the more country sounding of the album, and really leans into the genre throughout with supporting guitars twanging in the background. The forest and nature imagery bleeds through lyrics like “I’m going to a forest where the river’s black with sin” and “mountains will you miss me because I’ll be missing you”. The love she has for her home is distinctly apparent. The point the song builds to is quick and while the lyrics describe the big cities she’s headed for – the music builds pace and speed which evokes the imagery of busy cities.
Overall Holly Arrowsmith’s album is an emotional and raw experience. At times repetitive, it is still an overall win, with Holly expressing herself and her feelings so deeply through the album mixed in with beautiful imagery found only in New Zealand.
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