Sussex, England-based artist OneNamedPeter compels across Passing for Human, a solo-crafted album born from a revived rush of inspiration after a three-year pause. The album’s blend of reflective folk, rock vigor, and synth-bolstered dreaminess emerges with heartfelt charm, artfully weaving meditations on alienation, love, and escape from small towns.
“Go Down to the River” opens the album with a warming range of acoustic strums and introspective vocals, immersing in a lush title-bearing refrain as the lead vocals ruminate on how “life is a river of tears, rushing to an ocean of irrational fears.” A subsequent push into a more rock-ready, electric vigor is seamlessly accomplished, stirringly reminiscent of XTC in its dynamic tonal prowess as the “life is a forest/jungle” sequence hits. The ensuing track “The Ghost of You” is another delight, featuring finger-picked guitar and melancholic vocals, exploring a lifelong love that lingers: “What can I do? When I’m haunted by the ghost of you?”
A multitude of highlights enamor throughout, especially the title track — which struts a gentle synth-laden dreaminess intertwined with tasteful guitar licks, sounding as if Momus dug into a cross of soul and sophisti-pop. “Flying” envelops too; it’s a sister song to the album’s opener, and invigorates with its free-spirited ethos and yearning to escape from a small town, as jangling guitars lead with enjoyable momentum. Passing for Human is a consistently captivating full-length from OneNamedPeter.
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
