Joyce Prescher is laying all of her cards on the table in her latest album, Out of My Mind.
We interviewed the Dutch-born singer-songwriter earlier this year for her single “Paper and Pen,” which came out in August, and since then, she’s released “Black on White” as the last single leading up.
The anticipation for the Melbourne-based artist built over the course of the release of three singles off the album (“Sleep Now” being first), which is an impressive 13 tracks. The album is Prescher’s first release under Cheersquad Records & Tapes, and her second studio album thus far.
Out of My Mind arrived at the perfect time for the changing of the seasons.
The album is a vulnerable glimpse into Prescher’s life over the past few years, which included her parents’ divorce and the passing of her father. While it was no easy road to go down, the indie singer-songwriter has emerged with a collection of melancholy yet triumphant tracks.
The album opens with “Am I Lost”, a slightly eerie track that grabs your attention with the harmonic “oohs” at the beginning. It’s a great lead-in to the second track and last single, “Black on White.”
Towards the middle of the album, the title track, “Out of My Mind,” picks up the pace a little more. The shuffle-like drum beat and peppy guitar rhythm symbolizes the emotion felt in the song’s lyrics. The track tells the story of moving on from whatever was weighing her down, disregarding the problems of the past and pushing it out of her mind.
Each song is composed of an acoustic guitar and Prescher’s vocals, with the occasional appearance of a cello and lap steel guitar. The broken down acoustic production really gives the album the intimate feel that Prescher was going for, and allows the listener to appreciate the poetic stories being told by the singer. Each song follows suit, with low-key production underneath a story of love and loss.
Overall, the lyrical content is entrancing and picturesque, showing the evolution and maturation of Prescher’s writing style. The themes of loss and darkness are woven throughout each track, and is even symbolized in the album’s artwork, where the artist’s face rendering is submerged in the darkness in black and white. The haunting vocals (that are reminiscent of Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, amongst others) allow the tone to set the stage for the stories told throughout.
But with every loss, there must be healing. The almost hour-long album ends with the song, “The Hand That Spins You Round”, a reflection of the relationship once held. The instrumentation builds to allow for the finale to crescendo, leaving the listener feeling satisfied at the end of their listening journey.
Prescher will be celebrating her official album release on November 30th at George Lane in St. Kilda, Australia.
