Tamar Berk reflects on a post-grief life in her new album, Good Times for a Change.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Brandon Mosquera
Last year, Tamar released her album tiny injuries and felt as is she was emerging from the darkness that comes with grief. Emotional journeys are never straightforward, though, and her brightest days were interspersed with ones in which she felt she hadn’t moved on at all. The thing about any negative emotion is that, if it’s around long enough, it becomes a comfort in its own way. For Tamar, letting go of grief meant letting go of the father she had lost.
This emotional duality plays out over the twelve tracks of Good Times for a Change, her latest album. Things start brightly with Good Impression which immediately shows us her song-writing muscle through its quirky, self-effacing tale. A bubbly pop-rock instrumental sets the mood while Tamar’s vocals grab us by the heart.
Bright moments such as Good Impression and Artful Dodger are tempered by darker, harder ones such as That’s Not a Lie and Book of Change.
Tamar’s influences include the likes of The Beatles and Jeff Lynne and we hear that in tracks such as Millennium Park, I Don’t Mind and Book of Change. She also wears her Chicago upbringing on her sleeve, dedicating a track to the story of returning to her original home.
Other highlights include the simmering Sorrow is Hunting, the punk-esque You Trigger Me, and slow-burning album closer Comin’ Around to Me Again.
Put simply, Tamar Berk is an accomplished songwriter who creates hooky pop rock with plenty of heart. She opens up to us with her new album, and finds a way to dance through the pain. Her new album is a masterclass.
Good Times for a Change was produced by Tamar with drummer Matt Walker and engineer/mixer Sean O’Keefe. The album is out now, available to buy on CD or vinyl via Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.