Common Holly is the Montreal, Québec-based indie-folk project of songwriter Brigitte Naggar (vocals, guitars, keys), with Devon Bate (guitars, keys, flutes), Alex Rand (bass, guitars, flutes), and Thomas Sauvé-Lafrance (percussion). Aabid Youssef’s gorgeous cover photo of their new album Anything Glass drew me in, a powerful image that rivals Robert Mapplethorpe’s for Patti Smith’s Horses.

The ten subdued songs turn out to be just as beautiful, slow dancing in the tricky space between clarity and haze, like a Polaroid picture that won’t quite develop but still tells the truth. Musically it’s a quiet storm with immersive piano melodies—recorded live off the floor, in just a few days—and lyrically it glimmers with themes of mortality, connection, and meaning in an ever-confounding world (“But when the woman says it’s time // When all the wood is torched // We’ve done enough during our stay // to pack it out and float away”—from The Wood From The Sail). This record unfolds patiently, delicate yet grounded, raw yet fragile, shadowy yet warm.

Anything Glass, produced by Devon Bate and Brigitte Naggar, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Keeled Scales.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Keeled Scales