Five years in the making, 'Chapters' marks Finnish artist Conchis' debut album—an eleven-track journey through the raw depths of human psychology. Led by previously released singles ‘Cray Cray’ and ‘Trouble’ and the powerful new focus track ‘Floods,’ the album probes themes of loss, yearning, and resilience. Grappling with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) throughout its creation, Conchis adapted her process, restricting herself to just five vocal takes per song. This constraint only adds a stark vulnerability, creating an album that’s raw, intimate, and unflinchingly real.
Named after a character in The Magus, John Fowles’ intricate novel, Conchis draws upon its enigmatic nature to craft 'Chapters', weaving themes of mystery and the unseen into her lyrics and production. Her music pulses with elemental textures—earth, air, fire, and water—infused with a rich duality of light and dark, beauty and abrasion.
Opening with 'Trees Grow Higher', Conchis muses on personal growth against a haunting backdrop of clock-like beats and delicate layers of static electronica, evoking a tranquil yet meditative soundscape. This serene foundation shatters with Floods, an arresting track that echoes Fever Ray's dark, experimental edge. It confronts humanity’s environmental impact with fierce production and symbolic samples, a war-like rhythm underlying Conchis’ plea for planetary preservation.
'She Was Born' brings listeners into Conchis’ deepest grief over her mother's passing, a track where her stripped-back vocals float over dreamy textures, imbuing the sound with vulnerability and resilience. 'Cray Cray' then explores life's complex choices, while 'Stories' embodies a pivotal moment when, struggling with CFS symptoms, Conchis found herself bargaining for health, blending poignant lyricism with surging electronica.
The album’s darker turns include 'Just Not There', a haunting piece on burnout, and The 'World Is Flat', which critiques social media’s polarising echo chambers. These tracks embody Conchis’ knack for layering introspective themes with powerful melodies and discordant sounds.
Conchis’ fascination with psychology shines in 'Something So Shameful', capturing toxic shame’s creeping influence with an eerie, rap-style crescendo. The album’s penultimate track, 'Trouble', is a fiery exploration of danger, Conchis’ voice shifting from guarded to a siren-like call amidst visceral electronic layers.
'Chapters' closes on a contemplative note with Calm Your Mind, a track that eerily foreshadowed Conchis’ illness. Now fully realised, it reflects her journey through ME/CFS, its avant-garde synths gradually losing pace to end with a slow, heartbeat-like rhythm—a final reminder of resilience amid vulnerability.
Stream 'Chapters' in full here: