Mélanie Pain – ‘How And Why’ album review: A voice powered by the winter winds
There’s a case to be made that the English language has been exhausted in terms of creating melodies. Maybe that’s true. Maybe the timbre of this language only has so many corners to turn as it stitches melodies together. But, on the winter winds of her folk landscape, Mélanie Pain allows the melodies to be blown East, using the influence of her French language to compelling sonic effect on an album that showcases her versatility as a melody writer.
The Skinny: How And Why is an unassuming and humble album that kicks off in appropriate fashion with ‘Bluer Than Blue’. Pain’s voice is like a gentle breeze that daintily bounces on top of the folk melody built on top of pitter-pattering drums, gentle guitar strums and a flute. It’s a calm and gentle song that offers a peek behind the curtain of what lay ahead.
As the album unfolds, that curtain slowly opens, unravelling its charm to a point where the very best comes on the B-side. Because on the opening tracks, you’re almost begging Pain to invite the rest of the instruments to the party. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing tiresome about the delicate composition she’s showcasing, but you can’t help but feel like there is more.
Now it’s clear that the intention of this album was to be stripped back and minimal, but by the time you get to ‘Colours In The Dark’ which employs a welcome atmospheric backdrop, you’re welcoming the hesitant sense of maximalism. It’s ethereal and haunting, and almost perfectly pairs with Pain’s vocals in a sort of whimsical way.
The follow up track ‘Senden Daha Güzel’, which is a reworking of a classic by the cult Turkish band Duman highlights the subtle excitement that comes with the introduction of groove. This gives way for ‘The Bare Truth Of Me’ and ‘Same’ to comfortably unveil their textural styles which pit Pain’s voice in a place where it’s most interesting.
The Verdict: There is no doubt that Pain’s delicacy as an artist feels somewhat at home in the ethereal landscape of intimately crafted folk. But there is an obscurity to her melodic style that lends itself best to the more ambient and atmospheric worlds she flirts with on this record. Given her voice sounds like the welcome wind of a cool breeze, let’s keep giving it the power to wash over us.
Defining track: ‘Colours In The Dark’
Release date: November 21st, 2025 | Producer: Mélanie Pain | Label: Lucky13
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