On Alexandra Savior’s recently released album, “The Archer,” the indie female vocalist lives up to her reputation for haunting vocals. Savior’s vocal ability shines more than anything on the album–her unique vocal style is akin to Lana del Rey lost in the desert. Savior effortlessly transitions between melancholic vibrato and airy vocals on the album’s first track, “Soft Currents,” which previews the vocal prowess Savior exhibits throughout the album.
Savior’s vocals help describe the album’s central conflict of running away from love while wishing for it. Savior sadly sings the storyline of her love before it even begins in “Soft Currents”: one of passion, confusion, and heartbreak. Savior is aware of her own self-sabotage, softly howling through “Howl” as she cannot get thoughts of a lover out of her mind. Such a seemingly melancholic story is made beautiful by Savior’s vocals and poetic lyrics.
Particularly poetic images of her partner’s “spider silk hands,” causing “pandemonium quivers at his touch” are particularly effective in describing the inescapable grasp of a toxic relationship in “Bad Disease.” In “Bad Disease,” the listener feels as if they are suspended in a doomed wild West romance. Savior is the spurned lover waiting for an unattainable cowboy outside of a saloon in the midday sun.
The album reaches its resolution as Savior sings of the “wilted edge of a lonely mattress” in “But You” as she is again faced with loneliness. Savior is a queen of sadness, creating art from the ruins of yet another failed relationship.
Savior’s sophomore album, “The Archer,” cements her place as a promising female vocalist in the indie scene. Her vocals and simple instrumentation allow her to weave haunting storylines that exhibit her lyrical talent throughout the album.
Savior’s album is sure to be a cathartic experience, compelling listeners to consider their own toxic relationships while serving enchanting vocals. After listening, one feels as if they have just escaped from the desert dream Savior never fails to create in her work. Savior’s voice consumes the listener in such a way that reality ceases to exist, even if only for the 30 minute length of the album.
Top tracks: Soft Currents, Howl, Can’t Help Myself, Bad Disease, But You
Rating: 7.5/10
