Here in the Pitch
On Here in the Pitch, Jessica Pratt gives her music more space without losing its individual character. Her voice stays soft and recognisable, but the backing moves further forward. The melodies are more direct too. Her acoustic folk gains a closer relationship with richly arranged 1960s pop.
Life Is makes that change clear immediately. Heavily reverbed drums open the song before bass and string-like keys expand the sound. The singing remains slightly distant, but the melody gives everything direction. It sounds fuller than earlier work without giving up its calm.
On Better Hate, low woodwind provides a fine counterweight to the light melody. Behind that accessible sound is a more complicated feeling: the delivery moves between plain speaking and melancholy. Pratt does not need to explain that tension heavily. It is already present in the way she sings.
By Hook or by Crook uses a sleepy bossa nova rhythm. The song keeps its movement light while allowing a weightier mood to remain. On Nowhere It Was, slowly pulsing organ and barely marked percussion are enough to support the voice. A bigger setting clearly does not mean filling every available space.
Empires Never Know lets the piano sound slightly blurred and unsteady. That texture suits the restrained singing. Closer The Last Year chooses a clear vocal melody, with drums that arrive and disappear again. The melody's simplicity makes this ending particularly convincing.
At nine songs, the record stays compact. The additional instruments consistently give something back to the song, while the melodies make a stronger impression. Here in the Pitch expands Pratt's reach naturally. It is an inviting album that keeps its dreamy atmosphere while making a more immediate connection.
