THE STAVES RETURN WITH AN HONEST EVOLUTION OF FOLK MUSIC

FOURTH ALBUM ‘ALL NOW’ MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA

The Staves fourth record, All Now is their first as a two piece and finds them exploring a slightly –slightly– harsher sound than the folk-family band is known for. Having been a band made up of a trio of sisters for a decade, eldest sister Emily stepped down from the band in recent years to focus on starting a family, leaving Jessica and Camilla to forge forward as a two-piece. The effect on their signature blood harmonies is noticeable, but aside from that, this new incarnation of The Staves is just as deceptively hard hitting as the trio.

From the synth-and-vocal opening on the lead title track to the chainsaw guitars on Great Wave, it’s clear that this is a notable evolution in the band’s sound. Acoustic guitars and gorgeous harmonies run rampant throughout of course, and more classic Staves sounding tracks such as Recognise or The Echo stand as familiar touchstones, grounding the record for the listener, but there’s a bit more instrumentation and modern flair throughout. They do well to keep things on this side of pop – this certainly isn’t a genre shift – but there’s enough newness here to give the record a real sense of modern urgency.

It’s a perfect sound for this record, which lives almost exclusively in the anxieties of modern life. Straight from the beginning, the sarcasm drips off like poison from a blade: “It’s all now isn’t it exciting? / We can stick it to the man / Come out fighting / Unencumbered / Fast as lightning / I can act like I’m fine / I can put it in writing.” That sense of discomfort continues, covering social anxiety and imposter syndrome, fueled by fires of frustration. Jessica and Camilla wrote this album out of a bout of writer’s block and uncertainty, and it’s palpable here. Almost every song – After School, the duo’s tribute to their elder sister, being the sole exception – is tinged with a lingering sense of unease.

This all culminates in the penultimate track, The Important One, a 71 second long ode to the realities of not being someone’s first priority. Accompanied only by understated acoustic guitar, The Staves simply matter of factly state: “You made it clear it didn’t bother you / If I came and went from any room / Not so much a future wife / An accessory to your single life.” It cuts deep immediately, especially after sitting with our self doubt for the previous ten tracks.

The record wraps things up on an upbeat note with You Held It All, complete with big piano and drums, a full band rave up. But even here we’re still lingering in the mental darkness, wondering if keeping it all inside is worse than putting it out there and getting it wrong. It’s clear that The Staves, having released this exact record, believe these things are better out than in. Some of us aren’t as brave, though, and will find comfort in the commiseration – and isn’t that what folk music’s all about?