Confessional pop seems to be all the rage at the moment, but few do it like Madisyn Gifford. She’s just hit my radar through her new album, A Quiet Contemplation of Sunshine.

By Graeme Smith

After an ambient Intro, the album opens with its title track. Gentle folk pop is the order of the day. Expressive strings blend beautifully with Gifford’s compelling vocal. Her lyrics cut right to the point, exploring themes of healing from past romance.

“This record an honest look at the healing all of my past romantic endeavours have forced me to go through, and me standing on the other side of that healing filled with gratitude for all of those experiences – even the painful ones,” the Vancouver, Canada-based artist shares. “It feels like the music I would’ve listened to as a teenager, but it also feels very current to who am now writing these stories in hindsight.”

The bittersweet Seventeen is rich with nostalgic melancholia but also provides one of the album’s most uplifting moments. It’s an early highlight. Other highlights include the cantering conclusion of Die Happy, the vibrantly folksy What Love Is, the hard-hitting Sisterhood, the charismatic and cinematic Glad You Got Away and simmering album closer The Colour Yellow.

With her new album, Madisyn Gifford corrals genre with ease, giving us a varied record that blends country, folk, singer-songwriter and pop. The thread that ties it altogether is her emotional, confessional story. It’s a tearjerker of an album, and ultimately a rewarding listen.

A Quiet Contemplation of Sunshine is out now and you can give it a listen below.