Jenn Wasner returns with a new Flock of Dimes album. Out 10th October on Sub Pop.

Wasner produces solo work under the Flock of Dimes moniker in between releases for her original band Wye Oak, as well as serving as a guitarist and collaborator for Bon Iver. Both of her previous solo-albums were well received, and Wye Oak are widely respected. If you have not wallowed in her back catalogue, go get stuck in and thank me later.

Her third solo-effort is a slightly more stripped back affair than the previous two. There is a lot of acoustic guitar, much of the other backing is at times very minimal. It is grand and glorious songwriting in the tradition of Joni Mitchell and others of that ilk.

Singles ‘Afraid’ and ‘Defeat’ remain high watermarks. ‘Afraid’ jumps straight in with the high lyrical ambition that is displayed the whole way through the album. In this case detailing the journey from birth through to death:

“I did not enter this world afraid
And I refuse to leave it this way
I did not enter this world alone
A gasp splittin’ the silence cryin’, essence and bone”

‘Defeat’ talks about a relationship in disagreement.

Sometimes the gentle cheerfulness of the music plays against the lyrics. ‘Long After Midnight’ details a protagonist not worrying about getting loaned money back from an unnamed character. The loanee seems to be going through a range of financial difficulties. The music almost goes full country with twanging steel guitar.

There are many strengths on show here, but Wasner’s voice is the absolute winner. It is a voice that feels like it has lived and seen much, but it always retains a warmth and hint of joy – even when discussing trickier subjects. A lot of the subject material revolves around addiction and co-dependency. Some of it is very much other people’s stories, though some of it Wasner says is about how these things have touched upon her own life. Wasner says, “In the end, it is my hope that this record exists as a testament to the depth of my love for those I cannot save, and that it might provide some comfort for anyone who is still learning how to love and live for themselves.” For an album that gives off a sense of easy-listening it is surprisingly full of depths and contains deep emotional undercurrents.