Vava Quail is a songwriter and pianist who grew up in rural Germany, and it was the place in which he was raised that serves as inspiration for his debut album, released today via donkeysgopale. It’s called Beloved Ashes.

By Graeme Smith

Returning to places from our childhood can often be a surreal experience, and this is what Vava Quail explores on Beloved Ashes. It’s the feelings of familiarity and unfamiliarity that permeates its eight tracks, mixing good memories with bad on an emotionally adept journey.

The album opens with Sugar. It’s an intimate start. Isolated vocals delivery poetic and storytelling lyrics before we get a dizzying array of vocal layers accompanied by keys. There’s something a little unsettling about it all, reflecting the feeling of alienation that Vava Quail wishes to convey. As an opening gambit, it’s perfectly arresting.

Title track Beloved Ashes continues to play with overlapping voices while telling a melancholic story. It builds nicely to a dramatic crescendo. Calendula is a delicate and nostalgic moment full of natural imagery. Hold On! I’m On The Sea! is a dynamic effort, with atmospheric strings and percussive textures. It’s a highlight.

Warm White Tiles strips things back again to vocals and piano, giving us a vulnerable and soulful wonder. A River I Know takes the emotion up another notch, with some heartbreakingly descriptive lyrics. It perfectly captures the themes of the album. A reprise of The Calendula provides a discombobulating interlude before Paris closes the album with a lingering, narrative-rich final chapter. Its composition slowly builds to a cathartic climax. It’s a final highlight.

Vava Quail is such an inventive and original artist and I’m so glad to have discovered his music through this debut. If, like me, you’re a huge fan of Joanna Newsom’s Divers, then you’re going to find a lot to love about Beloved Ashes. You can give the album a listen below.