by Kris Handel
Through the Window is the debut LP by Prewn, a Western Mass band led by frontperson Izzy Hagerup, who on this collection of dark post-punk inflected folk goes it alone. Hagerup touches on mortality and angst with a nuance that is cutting and poetic while the backing cascades from cautious, haunted strumming to keyboard inflected gothic creepiness showing vast diversity. Her vocals waver and wobble, toeing the line between vulnerable and declaratively menacing, with both tacts carrying equal power, adding another layer of theatre and intrigue to the performances. There’s an intensity within the recording that only hints at the power of the full band in concert and future recordings, but it’s also heartwarming, benefiting from its sparser approach to these songs.
"Machine" kicks off the album with a finger-picked guitar pattern and Hagerup's voice flitting around bass notes and double tracked vocals as she builds drama by pushing her range to it's upper registers. The lead vocals and guitar line maintain a hypnotic cycle as backing vocals swoop around her anxiety, provoking rushed lyrics to abruptly end into a sparse guitar fill. "But I Want More" takes a different approach as the song is a bit of a slow burner, slightly reminiscent of Ian Sweet with a more sinister edge as Hagerup's imploring vocals creak through a chorus aided by wisping keyboard swells. "I'm Gonna Fry All the Fish in the Sea" highlights her unique vocal delivery as a guitar line wobbles through a steady foundation and keyboards welp and sway intoxicatingly.
The past few years have been trying in many ways for many people, and with Through the Window, Prewn have made a record of heightened isolation that works through some issues and demons while maintaining a deep sense of self and thought. Hagerup cloaks her songs in mystery and delves far into a moodiness that envelops her songs and brings a weightiness to her words as well as the ability to create deft atmospheres. This is quite a debut for a project that has grown infinitely in a short period of time, the shrouding of the lyrics in cryptic poetics allows Hagerup to set whatever scene she desires. Prewn are a band that have their whole future in front of them and this record of dark post-punk and pop appeal, shows that the ceiling is quite high. It’s an album that reveals itself with layers ready to be exposed.