With a sound inspired by Fink, Aurora, and Fleetwood Mac, Renée Spijker is an intriguing artist who’s new to our blog thanks to her EP, this is how we grow.

By Graeme Smith

Recently Renée has returned home to Utrecht, Netherlands from Australia. It was while she was on her travels that she conceived and recorded her new EP, this is how we grow. She describes it as a “deeply personal exploration of change, vulnerability, and growth.” The record is set in her time abroad and speaks of navigating a difficult period in a relationship.

The EP opens low and meditative with the atmospheric intro of Ruby. Delicate electronic layers interplay with acoustic guitar and Renée’s ghostly vocals. It’s a powerfully understated opener that nicely welcomes us into the world of the EP. The devastating and cinematic Without A Sound follows before we arrive at a ethereal interlude.

The record’s second half gives us the smouldering Distance, the simmering and epic title track this is how we grow and Under The Weather (and above again) which closes the EP with nuance. The track opens melancholic and acoustic before taking us to a higher plane through a rich and enveloping arrangement.

Renée Spijker’s music is simply stunning – infused with lots of authentic storytelling and emotion and providing plenty of innovation. Her new EP is one in which it’s easy to get lost.

This is how we grow was recorded in Brisbane, Australia with Tim Bettinson and Luke Jenkins. It’s out now and you can give it a listen below.