Little Hells is a little bit of heaven for your earbuds.
Don’t let the title fool you: Boston-based songbird Marissa Nadler’s Little Hells is so sweet, it hurts. Honest and penetrating, her fourth album highlights the dream-folk musician’s eerie reverb vocals that deliver all-American tales, mimicking ’60s folk stars of yesteryear. With discordant harmonies littered throughout the album, Nadler’s songs deal with the usual suspects: death, love, and loss. Poignant lyrics such as ‘Ghosts and lovers/They will haunt you for awhile’ (‘Ghosts and Lovers’) and ‘When you were young, did you ever think that it would end?’ (‘The Whole Is Wide’) set the tone. Some songs harbor a distinctly twangy feel (‘Little Hells’), and others incorporate carnivalesque sounds to create an even bleaker, more delicate soundscape (‘Loner’). Nadler’s talent is supported by appearances from Simone Pace (Blonde Redhead), Myles Baer (Black Hole Infinity), and producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). The depth and maturity of Little Hells proves this maven has many more tricks up her American Gothic sleeve.
