Shaina Hayes – “Tempest”
From Montreal, blog favorite Shaina Hayes is back with “Tempest” and the promise of a new LP.
Shaina Hayes needs no introduction, particularly if you’ve been following along with her releases as closely as we have. Each time we see her name pop up in our submissions, we race to the play button. The reason for this is simple: in a contemporary musical landscape saturated with commercial polish and mainstream appeal, Hayes utilizes natural talent and organic production to captivate the listener.
“Tempest” begins with some fairly intricate acoustic guitar, the kind that most musicians will swear can only be played with two guitars. The truth is that we don’t know, but we’re drawn into the song all the same. And we don’t have to wait long before Hayes arrives with a vocal performance that is so wonderfully visceral that she may as well be singing it directly into your ear. This is one of the reasons we’ve never been able to say no to her.
The second verse brings in the rhythm section, subtle and bare-bones, as if the band were all in the same room at the time of recording (in case you’re new around here, this is exactly what we look for in these tender servings of indie folk). Hayes deploys vocal harmonies over key moments, enhancing the immersion of the listener, perfect for listening via headphones.
The final third of “Tempest” resides in more of a dreamy state of existence, with reverberating keys interweaving with arpeggios from the guitars. At this point, the production shifts from up-close and intimate to the ghostly tones of an echo chamber before returning to the vulnerability of the outset.