An excellent debut EP from Insignificant, Become struts a memorable folk sound across its seven tracks. From the ghostly acoustics of “Ourselves” to the visceral, string-laden exploration of burnout within “Junipero,” the project navigates modern detachment and internal fatigue with artful immersion.
Following a brief yet vulnerable introduction track — with soft acoustics and spoken-word remarks of “I don’t even know why I’m doing it” — the EP gets fully underway with “Ourselves.” Trickling acoustics lend a chilly, ghostly presence as the vocals emerge with poignant insight. “We’re clinging to our phones like we’re possessed,” they let out, exuding themes of detachment and the comforting pull of nostalgia, relative to the present’s tumult. “All we’re left with are the sneers,” the vocals capture a suffocating sort of societal pressure, moving into a riveting second half with flourishes of gorgeous underlying strings; it’s a thorough display of the project’s standout, emotional songwriting.
Another moving success, “Junipero” crafts a mellow soundscape with outdoor ambiance, as subtle sounds of birds combine with a pulsing acoustic warmness. “Tired of driving too far, tired of hope and tired of scars,” the vocals ascend as thumping percussion and frolicking, jangling guitar vibrancy merge. Further “tired mountains of pain / my body aches…” visceral descriptions craft a personal feeling of psychological burnout, transitioning from the domestic “haunting” of a house and “drinking through the mouth” to the visceral imagery of “digging bullets out of my head.”
“Forest Fires on the Moon” impacts with its heart-on-sleeve folk allure as well, expressing effort and ensuing fatigue — “To drag myself through the bone and skin / In hopes to be inspired” — as tender strings and plucky guitars resonate in their interplay. It’s another example of heartfelt, folk-ready sincerity from Insignificant, whose EP Become is all-consuming from start to finish.
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“Ourselves” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
“Forest Fires on the Moon” is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Folk.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
