Haddie Bell is a Canadian singer songwriter who has just hit my radar thanks to the release of her debut album. Telling stories of her twenty-two years on this Earth, it’s called Silent Motions.
By Graeme Smith
The album opens with Won’t Let the Dust Settle. It’s a darkly upbeat start, combining pacey indie pop rhythms with sultry electronica. Its textured and layered arrangement is topped off by charismatic and compelling vocals that provide the human touch. It’s a promising intro that draws the listener in.
Tennessee By Now takes things in a more acoustic direction with a plucked guitar melody and introspective storytelling before single May Flowers brightens things with a lilting arrangement that loses none of the emotional impact introduced by the first two tracks. It’s a highlight.
She & Her Cat is raw and intimate, echoing around an empty, lonely room. Easy Girl has some delicious wordplay to go along with its delicate keys. Title track Silent Motions is richly atmospheric, with experimental synths and heartbeat drums. It’s another powerful highlight.
Heavenly is the album’s other single and provides an emotional low point in the album’s story before rising to a cathartic chorus with life-affirming harmonies.
Good For My Heart introduces the album’s last leg with some acoustic warmth and romantic lyrics. Parachute returns us to some bright, building electronica before Good People Cry closes the album with a six-minute folk pop odyssey. Haddie’s vocals take on a soulful quality in this final chapter and the instrumentals are vibrantly immersive. It’s another highlight.
Haddie Bell’s debut album is a triumph. She moves between electronic and acoustic with apparent ease, bringing it all together with her captivating vocals and clever storytelling. She really shows us a lot of herself in this collection and it’s all the better for it. You will almost certainly find yourself feeling along while listening.
Silent Motions is out now via Sweet Marjorie Records. You can check it out below.