Norrisette – Future Dream (2021)
The climate crisis is something that affects all of us whether we pay attention to it or not. As someone who is passionate about finding hope for the future in the face of climate change, Norrisette has created her EP Future Dreams as a way of helping others look for that glimmer of hope. Each track draws on the inspiration of natural elements from fire to air and links them to how we interact with nature as a whole.
Through the EP, she imagines a world that has not been ravaged by climate change and offers a glimpse into what we can have if we start to act. While this musical project is relatively new, Norrisette draws on her experience as a pianist, composer, singer-songwriter and producer to create a touching listening experience. Creating everything herself from the EP to the artwork, she pours her passion into each note and you can really hear how much she cares throughout each track.
The EP opens with ‘Hydra’ which draws on the element water. The melody slowly pulls you in with a gentle trickle of piano that reminds you of a light rain. The droning of the low levels is a more ominous addition. The vocals are ethereal as they hover over the music. As the single progresses, the droning lower levels gain importance as the vocals touch on flooding and the destruction that water can bring. The interplay of the lighter tones and the droning under layer brings the power and destructive awe of a flood to sonic life.
‘Old Name’ move to the element earth and looks at the rewilding of the landscape that we have tamed over the years. Her vocals call out against the gentle piano line like the mist rolling between the trees in the early morning. The tenderness of her performance perfectly picks up the call of nature that can be felt in wild spaces. This is a very tender and touching track that softly calls to something deep inside that you might forget is resting in your chest. The acoustic melody is gentle and wonderful to listen to as the piano adds power and poignancy to the lyrics.
Turning to air, ‘Bone Forest’ has a haunting edge to the vocals that sends shivers racing down your spine. While the vocals are haunting, the melody is a gentle swell of tones that bring an almost orchestral feeling to the soundscape. Through all of this, the lyrics consider renewable energy. The performance is amazing as it creates the airy movement of the element that has inspired it. Both the vocals and melody has a breezy and airy feeling to them that lifts you into the atmosphere.
The EP comes to a close with ‘Prometheus’ which ends the EP on a fiery note. The deep droning beats have an almost industrial edge that moves to a dance or EDM vibe. The feeling of this track is so different to the natural and organic feel of the rest of the EP. With this industrial edge, Norrisette brings the abuse of fire by humanity to your ears. The vocals come at you from all sides while the beats really pound through your chest. It is an intense way to end the EP and the change in overall sound drives the messaging of the track home.
Norrisette tempers the power of nature with humanities abuse of it while trying to offer hope for the future in Future Dream. Each track draws on a different natural element bringing the impact of climate change to life. The organic feeling of three tracks is tempered by the industrial tones of one which really drives the message of the EP home.
Find out more about Norrisette on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
