vinylfanatics.com

Jessica Pratt's third album arrives like a whispered secret passed between trusted friends, demanding the kind of intimate attention that's become increasingly rare in our hyperconnected age. *Quiet Signs* finds the California-based singer-songwriter retreating further into her own mesmerising sonic universe, crafting what might be her most cohesive and emotionally resonant statement yet.

Following 2015's critically acclaimed *On Your Own Love Again*, which saw Pratt expanding her sound with subtle orchestral flourishes and cleaner production, expectations were naturally high. The intervening years had been relatively quiet for the artist, save for sporadic live appearances that only heightened anticipation among her devoted following. What emerges on *Quiet Signs* feels like the logical evolution of an artist who's always operated on her own terms, creating music that exists in a timeless pocket dimension somewhere between Nico's glacial beauty and the pastoral folk of early Fairport Convention.

Pratt's approach to songwriting has always been impressionistic rather than literal, and *Quiet Signs* pushes this aesthetic to new heights. Her voice, processed through vintage equipment and bathed in reverb, floats above arrangements that feel both ancient and futuristic. The album's production, handled by Pratt herself alongside engineer Joo Joo Ashworth, creates an atmosphere so thick you could practically swim through it. Every element feels deliberately obscured, as if heard through morning fog or recalled from a half-remembered dream.

Opening track "A New Time" sets the tone with its hypnotic circular melody and Pratt's multi-tracked vocals creating an otherworldly choir. The song builds incrementally, adding layers of percussion and what sounds like processed field recordings, before dissolving into the ether. It's a perfect encapsulation of Pratt's ability to create something that feels both substantial and ephemeral.

"Poly Blue" stands as perhaps the album's most immediately compelling moment, with its relatively straightforward structure providing an anchor point amid the surrounding ambience. Here, Pratt's melodic gifts shine brightest, her voice weaving around a simple but effective chord progression while cryptic lyrics hint at transformation and renewal. The track's infectious groove – if something so gossamer can be called a groove – makes it the closest thing to a single, though it's hardly radio-friendly in any conventional sense.

The album's centrepiece, "Silent Song," pushes Pratt's experimental tendencies to their logical conclusion. Built around a foundation of backwards vocals and treated piano, the track unfolds like a sonic séance, with Pratt's voice emerging from and disappearing into the mix like a ghost seeking resolution. It's either brilliant or maddening, depending on your tolerance for such sonic adventurousness, but it's undeniably the work of an artist following her vision wherever it leads.

"Here My Love" offers something approaching conventional song structure, its fingerpicked guitar and relatively clear vocals recalling the intimate folk of her debut. Yet even here, Pratt can't resist adding layers of texture that transform what might have been a simple love song into something more mysterious and complex. The interplay between clarity and obscurity that defines the entire album is perfectly encapsulated in this single track.

Closing with "Auctioneer (Another Engine)," Pratt delivers her most ambitious composition, a seven-minute meditation that builds from whispered vocals and sparse instrumentation to something approaching a wall of sound. It's a fitting conclusion to an album that rewards deep listening and repeated exposure.

*Quiet Signs* isn't an album that reveals its secrets easily. Initial listens might leave casual fans frustrated by its opacity and deliberate pacing. But for those willing to meet Pratt on her own terms, the rewards are substantial. This is music for solitary moments, for late-night contemplation, for those times when the world feels too loud and harsh.

In an era of playlist culture and shortened attention spans, Pratt continues to create albums that demand to be experienced as complete statements. *Quiet Signs* confirms her position as one of contemporary folk music's most singular voices, an artist uninterested in trends or commercial considerations. Whether this approach will sustain a long-term career remains to be seen, but for now, we can simply be grateful that artists like Jessica Pratt continue to follow their muse into uncharted territory, bringing back reports from places the rest of us never think to visit.