Love Letter for Fire’s particular charm lies in its two creators’ hesitance to take centre-stage. Written as conversational duets, the musical magnetism between first-time collaborators Jesca Hoop, California songwriter and adopted Manchester resident, and cult folk artist Sam Beam of Iron and Wine, allows for space and nuance, more two friends lamenting late into the night than tussling theatrics. Their dusky country and Americana avoids traditional tropes or slide guitars and pedal steels; tracks such as Bright Lights and Goodbyes and One Way to Pray instead languish in lazy acoustic guitars and drunken, swaying strings. Its tempo only shifts on the kooky Chalk It Up to Chi: “I’m a shiny marble you’re a sorry black boot,” they giddily coo. The rest, however, is dovetailing vocals between two writers who see love in rain, sea, the cliffs and the clouds. A nurturing listen, which leaves the pair tangled in each other’s metaphors; hopeless romantics forever.
