On her third album, London-based musician Billie Marten takes her minimalist acoustic foundation and grows a verdant, beautiful landscape all over it. Like the single, “Garden of Eden,” Flora Fauna is an exemplar of growth: Marten’s signature breathy, tender vocals swim amidst rich, abounding instrumentation including horns, strings, toe-tapping beats, and drums and bass which enliven these pop songs. She strikes a cunning balance of play and contemplation, joy and longing. And her lyrics, which always express quiet truths about her inner experience, now sparkle with optimism. It’s the perfect album for basking in the summer sun and feeling things.
Billie Marten
Flora Fauna
(IMPERIAL Music/Fiction Records)
By Carlee McManus
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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