Laura Gibson’s first album since 2012’s La Grande was created in the wake of disaster: a year ago her New York flat and most of her possessions (including notebooks and musical instruments) were destroyed in a gas explosion that killed two of her neighbours. A sense of bewilderment, displacement and loss hangs over songs such as The Last One, on which Gibson admits: “I can’t tell selfishness from love any more.” Gibson’s voice has an old-time fragility about it, like that of Beth Gibbons. There’s also a flavour of Portishead, too, in the sound of Empire Builder. Gibson and co-producer John Askew retain the intimate feel of a small combo while introducing some surprising sounds with great subtlety: Bollywood string flourishes on The Search for Dark Lake, muted background vocals on Two Kids, and swelling guitar feedback on the title track. Country songs such as Damn Sure and Two Kids are deceptively simple, but there’s a depth that rewards repeated listens.
