Guinevere deals with mental health in touching and genre-blending new album, To All The Lost Souls.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by Stefano D’angelo
An Italian artist, singer, and songwriter, Guinevere is new to our blog thanks to her new album To All The Lost Souls. An intimate and autobiographical collection, it’s dedicated to Andrea, Guinevere’s close friend who took his own life in September 2019.
Andrea’s story is told through the track Unravel, a spacious and layered image that gives us some looping percussion, stirring strings and a melancholic sweetness. A modern folk style is infused in it all, and the lyrics are utterly gripping. It’s a highlight.
More widely, the album deals with themes of grief, loss, mental health, and resilience. It opens with the stripped-back first verse Little Blue Gin which gives us an immediate taste of Guinevere’s expressive vocal. As the track progresses, delicate piano comes in, as does experimental vocalisations. We know straight away we’re going to be in for something different with this album.
Musically it blends genre with the folk of tracks like Unravel being contrasted by cinematic rock moments like Wintersick. Throughout, the music pushes boundaries, meaning we’re always presented with something fresh. It all beautifully enhances the emotion of Guinevere’s voice and words.
I Need A Glass of Water sees Guinevere’s joined by a choir of children. Generational Fear combines cathartic lyrics and and an off-kilter instrumental in a similar fashion to Self-Esteem. It gave me goosebumps when it reached its crescendo. Sorry is an intimate, confessional piano-led number. Be Like A Spider- She Said is a beautifully poetic, Tori Amos-esque moment. Those are just a few of the highlights on an album where there are no low-lights.
Few artists have the courage to do what Guinevere is doing with her new album. She tells a raw, autobiographical story while not playing it safe with genre. I’m very excited to hear more from her.
To All The Lost Souls is out now via La Tempesta. You can give it a listen below.
