Soledad Vélez -‘Wild Fishing’ (Absolute Beginners)

‘Yes, she is a woman singing folk, but let’s not let that make us narrow minded.’ Thus begins the press release accompanying the debut album from Valencia’s Soledad Vélez. To approach this album in a narrow-minded way would be a mistake. Yes, she’s a bit folky, a bit bluesy, but the voice and the songs are more consistent with the likes of Cat Power or PJ Harvey.

So there are no ‘Hey Nonny nonnys’ and no painfully earnest/confessional outpourings. Instead, as the summer draws to and end, what we get instead is a reflective, mature album that makes for one very coherent whole. Standout tracks include album openers ‘Black Light In The Forest’ and ‘Hug Me’ and ‘Birds.’ I’ve been playing this album quite a bit over the past few weeks, and with autumn seemingly here, it suits the mood better than in summer.

And I mean that as a compliment. Accessible, without being bland; creative, without being impenetrable, this is a debut which suggests an artist with promise. I look forward to seeing what she does next…

***1/2

Wild Fishing is out now on Absolute Beginners. Stream it below: