The August Arrival return to our pages with introspective and healing album, Hillsides.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by Alex Denault

A Yukon, Canada-based indie folk band led by songwriter and vocalist Sara MacDonald, The August Arrival recently released their debut album Hillsides.

We’ve teased the album before on this blog, sharing singles Fleeting and Forever and Camped Out to these pages so I thought it was high time I shared the album itself. Hillsides was written during a difficult time for Sara, which included an autism diagnosis for her son, an unexpected health scare, and the loss of a loved one. Through it all, creating the album became a healing process for her.

It’s Camped Out that gets the album going, giving an immediate taste of Sara’s emotional voice and astute song-writing. A rock-infused instrument injects a bit of edge, nicely contrasting the soft, soaring vocal. It’s a strong start.

Fleeting and Forever is a microcosm of the entire album which deals with themes of challenge, impermanence, and acceptance. There’s a stripped-back melancholy to its first verse before things grow into an indie folk groove during the chorus.

Keep Driving is suitably dynamic during a reflective moment. Let It Go is introspective with a big soft rock finish. Last Known Bird introduces a cinematic folk soundscape. Lifting Again is perhaps the album’s most devastating track. It’s rich with vulnerability and poetry.

The album’s other single Whisper is a jangly late album highlight thanks to the way it contrasts what has come before it in terms of style. Title track Hillsides closes the album with a lingering, heartfelt moment that will stay with you.

Sara and The August Arrival have an irresistible charm and they’ve brought it to this album. Each track purrs with relatable emotion, and the instrumentals are easy to get lost in.

Hillsides is out now and you can give it a listen below.