On her tenth album New Radiations, US songwriter Marissa Nadler continues to navigate the realm of dark, psychedelic folk — but it’s not entirely detached from reality; instead, it wraps around the mind like a dense, lingering fog. In her lyrics, the 44-year-old circles around symbols tied to things high up in the air, as she revealed in an interview. »Back in the day you were all the rage, when you could still hypnotize her. Rockets and planes and through hurricanes fused to the sight of her fire«, Nadler whispers on »Light Years«.
This isn’t escapism, though. Nadler translates the atmospheres and moods of the present day into stories that feel more tangible, comprehensible, and therefore more weighty — all while staying true to her distinctive sound. Moments of electric guitar outbursts, like at the end of the title track, are rare here. Even calling them “outbursts” feels like an exaggeration. On what might be her finest album to date, Marissa Nadler places her accents with such precision and restraint that they linger, following you deep into your own dreams. After all, no one ever claimed that having your head in the clouds meant being free of heavy thoughts.
