Gurli Octavia brings forth unfiltered emotion, ranging from anguish to acceptance to hopefulness

Gurli Octavia

"I Could Be Blossoming Instead"

Release date: 29 January 2021

8/10

Gurli octavia 2021 i could be blossoming instead lp 652

01 February 2021, 13:25 | Written by Dan Cromb

(Albums)

(Gurli Octavia)

I Could Be Blossoming Instead is so intensely private at times that it almost feels like you shouldn’t be listening. Akin to catching glimpses of an argument taking place on the other side of a thin wall, where the temptation is to press your ear up against it so you can hear properly, even when you know you shouldn’t.

Except here, someone has smashed down that wall, recorded everything in high-definition and is now playing it back on a large screen with surround sound for the full immersive experience. On repeat. With the volume turned up to max.

This is the power contained within Octavia’s song-writing. Holding nothing back, it’s obvious that the Danish singer has been through a rough time. Referencing relationship troubles, personal tragedy and self-destruction through struggles with drink and drugs, it’s all laid bare. It’s a journey from which Octavia hasn’t necessarily emerged unscathed, but which has also helped shape her for the better. A stronger, more confident, more self-assured and self-aware being.

Octavia has form for this sort of brutally honest song-writing. “Winter arrived” from 2017’s Philophobia EP exposes every raw, painful crack that results from heartache, and the mournful sense of loneliness on “Vagrant” from 2017’s Lunacy is all too real. As before, the key with I Could Be Blossoming Instead is that it never feels self-pitying or overly dramatic. Just pure, unfiltered emotion, ranging from anguish to acceptance and hopefulness.

There’s a resigned tone on the soul of “Party” (“Let’s leave it there / I don’t wanna argue), defiance on the softer, guitar-led “Lilac Rose” (How can I choose this road again / When I know where it ends”) and a remorseful vibe on the brooding “Tomorrow I’m A Man” (“He left an empty shell of me / I’m nothing but skin wrapped around anxiety”). If that makes the album sound heavy going, rest-assured there are lighter moments too. Recent single “X-Ray” is a sensational track that warms you up with rich brass and layered vocals, while “We Leave The Night Young” is a triumphant highlight, that shimmers and swells on its way to becoming a rousing anthem.

Don’t let the title fool you. On I Could Be Blossoming Again Octavia is more than blossoming. She’s in full bloom, in a way that looks set to bear fruit for years to come.