Album Review: SOAK - Before We Forgot To Dream

At first glance, SOAK’s debut album could be likened to the more atmospheric, female-fronted releases of late.

On closer inspection and through multiple listens, however, the songs on Before We Forgot How To Dream are driven much more by acoustic guitar and a more traditional verse-chorus structure. She delivers her vocals tenderly and layered with reverb, and although her lyrics are more difficult to comprehend than, say, Sarah Blasko, the thoughtfulness and space within each track marks SOAK as unique.

Hailing from Derry in Northern Ireland, the 18-year-old has delivered a considered, at-times quirky record that on the whole impresses. There’s a slight sense, however, that she holds back at times – see single, Sea Creatures for instance – and overplays her tweeness. Her arrangements sometimes suffer in their minimalism, such as on Garden, and the album features a few unnecessary detours through three one-minute instrumental breaks that fail to add anything to the narrative of the album overall.

On other tracks, like Shuvels, the production stands to the fore, with reverb, backing vocals and a tender flute line working brilliantly with each other. There are more hits than misses across Before We Forgot How To Dream, proving that SOAK deserves her new-found fame.