Earlier this month Tamar Berk returned with the release of ‘ocd’, an album containing twelve washed out shoegaze rock tracks and soft, dreamy vocals.
Berk truly makes us listen out for her voice to be able to unravel the stories she’s written for this album, in particular on opening track ‘stay close by’. Sounding like a fever dream driven by softly thumping drums and those atmospheric vocals, Tamar has created a rather eccentric sound for herself, making her stand out from the others within her genre. The less misty title track of the album is a personal favourite, sounding like a wandering heart, gently-voiced, while ‘you ruined this city for me’ is a propulsive rock track with a deliciously driving soundscape.
After the first three tracks we’ve already heard three different aspects to Berk’s sound, she’s adamantly being most personal and sonically ambitious on this album as she brings a refreshing dynamic to our playlists. Hints of indie, pop, rock, shoegaze and dreamgaze pass the revue with a most dreamy one being ‘any given weeknight’, another is ‘my turn will come’, stewed forward by keys instead of those thumping drums that almost form a red thread throughout the album. Together with subjects bouncing between emotional spirals, the strange beauty of overthinking, exploring identity and the patterns we can’t escape, those are what bring the album together and make it one big comforting whole.
Refreshingly energising is ‘i’m in the day after’, with its stunning guitar lines and storytelling vocals. Its twelve tracks are linked by the messy thoughts that overbear Tamar Berk’s days, as they do ours, yet she doesn’t shy away from the tough topics and makes them sexy through the musical soundscapes she creates. Her ability to do so makes ‘ocd’ stand out as the friend that always listens and offers fresh perspectives. She ends on her softest note on ‘ghost stories’, which completes the album and her most personal musical journey to date. While being soft, reflective and introspective, it is at the same time catchy and infectious, something not everyone can pull off the way Tamar Berk can.
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