by Shea Roney (@uglyhug_records)
Winten, the Naarm/Melbourne based project of Bridgette Winten, uses songwriting more therapeutically than anything on her debut album Waving To My Girl. Taking to writing mostly at night in her bedroom, Winten allows the thoughts that only come to us when we feel most alone, whether those be of regret or perseverance, to map together a cohesive and beautiful journey of recovery.
The debut single and opening track, “Anything You Like,” is a subtle regain of strength from a debilitating relationship. “I don’t think I can say goodbye,” is a brutal opening line to an album, enabling stockpiled doubt from Winten. With a somber chord progression, there is still an underlining and uplifting tone that guides the song along. As it closes with an understated, yet powerful guitar solo, the mood changes to Winten’s determination of self-love. Setting the tone for the rest of the songs, it is clear that this album isn’t one to hold a broken heart too tightly.
“Bad Ones” finds Winten in the position of cutting ties from a toxic relationship. “I am done with the bad ones/I think we had a good run,” Winten sings point-blank. As one of the more sonically exposed tracks, with an 80s chorus style guitar and a background of synth work, Winten’s candor turns into something to dance to. The title track “Waving To My Girl” is an enduring indie-rock song that ends with Winten showing her vocal strength. Punching out the words “my girl,” she tries to find security in how far she has come.
With such a sparse soundscape that flows over the album, Winten’s ability to orchestrate instrumentations as accent points is highly noticeable. “Violet Town” begins with a low and dry guitar riff, one almost reminiscent of a Hollywood western soundtrack. A group of synths and strings raise the chorus of “Maybe Baby,” a story of a friend who repeatedly refuses help, into a catchy, yet dire, pop tune. Even the two minute interlude, “Mic Test/Peach,” is a piano instrumental that not only calms the nerves, but is expertly used to change the ground that Winten has laid out.
The time between Christmas and New Years is a common setting throughout the album. As a time dedicated to love, reshaping goals, awaited gatherings, memories and other sappy and critical feelings, it’s a time that is not always warm and welcoming to people. “Fireworks & Lemon Pie” is representative of empty promises and actions that come with the over-the-top expectations of New Years and “new beginnings”. “Holidays” tells of all the things that we lose at the end of a relationship. With just a simple guitar pick, Winten sings, “and I just hate that I was a stranger to your mother/It’s confusing, I knew you deeply, now we are nothing”. With the phrase that pulls the rug out from under your feet, the honesty makes you suddenly drop. This lyrical precision allows Winten the opportunity to be so personable on such broad issues, making it as if we also attribute our feelings to the same memory.
Waving To My Girl is an eclectic and patient endeavor that Winten has spent a few years crafting. Touching on the core complexities of love that we often forget about, she has made something so intimate be so comprehensive. On the closing track, “Freckled Like An Orchid,” Winten sings the last line “I can love more in recovery,” a major shift from the opening line. With an emotionally triumphant debut release, Winten has marked herself as a new voice that needs to be heard.