Emilíana Torrini – ‘Miss Flower’ album review: an impressive return
THE SKINNY: Emilíana Torrini has enjoyed an incredibly successful career, but her name is one you might not instantly recognise. Yet, with her stunning new album, Miss Flower, her first in 10 years, Torrini will surely expand her fanbase. It’s a seductive and captivating record, intimate and silky, taking inspiration from the mysterious titular figure, the mother of one of Torrini’s friends.
The Grammy-nominated artist used Geraldine Flower’s collection of letters as a starting point for the album. She was an enigmatic woman who, according to Torrini, lived with “a fearless loyalty to her truth.” She turned down many men who proposed to her, reluctant to tie herself down to anyone. With references to “espionage”, “heartbreak”, and “great lust” found within the mountain of correspondences, Torrini used these themes within her lyrics, creating an album that feels highly personal and special.
Miss Flower bears the influence of genres like trip-hop, pop and folk, weaving these seemingly opposing sounds into coherency. The album opens with ‘Black Water’, which sees Torrini speak over subdued electronic beats before singing the chorus, which contains compelling lines like “We’re only as sick as our deepest secrets.” Torrini immerses us in Flower’s world with great storytelling power; the words she delivers are vivid and rich with sensorial energy.
Most of the songs maintain a downbeat, sultry tempo, amplified by Torrini’s voice, which is soft and alluring. There are several tracks, however, which are considerably more upbeat, such as ‘Let’s Keep Dancing’. Still, this song contains a hushed quality in Torrini’s vocal delivery, evoking an atmosphere of secrecy and forbidden pleasure.
In ‘Love Poem’—another highlight—Torrini paints a descriptive image of a hot, sticky summer of love. Her words are accompanied by a minimal synth, allowing her voice to dominate instead. “Suncream on warm skin/Lemonade and night swims wearing nothing,” she sings in an almost-breathy tone, her gentle backing vocals swirling in the background to create a gorgeous, otherworldly atmosphere.
Torrini has crafted an album that totally inhabits its own world. It is wholly cohesive and never falls into stagnation thanks to the musician’s ability to switch up tempos or her vocal style, for example. Miss Flower is perfect for the summer months, although you’ll hardly want to turn it off after the sunny days are replaced with wind and rain; it’ll simply transport you back to the season, where a sense of romanticism and mystery is ever present.
For fans of: Trip hop and reminiscing about a life you’ve never had.
A concluding comment from my boyfriend: “This album oozes a certain clandestinity which one might associate with that which lurks in your parents’ bedside drawer.”
Miss Flower track by track:
Release Date: June 21st | Producer: Simon Byrt, Emilíana Torrini
‘Black Water’: This is a fantastic opener, with Torrini drawing us in through her intimate vocals. The balance between spoken delivery and singing works well, with the musician providing us with meditations on freedom and identity, “I live most of my life behind a curtain,” she sings. [4/5]
‘Lady K’: The synths are rather minimal but upbeat, driving the song forward as Torrini sings at a rather quick pace. It’s not a standout, but it’s the perfect transitional number for the next song. [3/5]
‘Waterhole’: An ominous intro featuring a distant male voice opens ‘Waterhole’, which bears a clear trip-hop influence. It’s one of the album’s sexier numbers, with Torrini taunting the subject by singing “You really messed up” repeatedly. [4/5]
‘Dreamers’: Beginning with soft acoustic guitar, Torrini shows her folk influences here. The song picks up with the addition of other instruments, like piano, creating a tender, more melancholic soundscape. [3.5/5]
‘Miss Flower’: A very seductive number, with Torrini singing, “I want to taste you/ Taste your lips/ Feel your hair/ I want to breathe you,” as Spanish-inspired instrumentation acts as a hazy accompaniment. [4/5]
‘Black Lion Lane’: The most commercially accessible number on the album, taking more pop influence, is ‘Black Lion Lane’. It’s a sweet number that recalls images of dancing with friends or strolling through the city as the sun beats down on the pavements. [3.5/5]
‘Let’s Keep Dancing’: An easy standout track, ‘Let’s Keep Dancing’ is a bewitching and sexy number that’ll make you want to dance with a mysterious lover at a bar by the sea as the sun goes down. [4.5/5]
‘Love Poem’: A minimal synth beat pulsates behind Torrini’s smooth voice as she recalls a summer love. There’s a tinge of uncertainty and darkness lingering beneath the surface, making for one of the album’s most immersive tracks. [4/5]
‘The Golden Thread’: A mellow number about love that is, like ‘Dreamers’, tinged with melancholy. [3/5]
‘A Dream Through the Floorboards’: The album ends with an instrumental piano cut that feels reflective and wistful, as though Torrini is placing all of Geraldine’s letters back in a box. [3.5/5]
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