Before We Forget How To Dream // SOAK
Before We Forget How to Dream is the stunning debut album by nineteen-year-old Irish acoustic singer/songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson, better known as SOAK. The album was released in June 2015 and has been described as “a vivid portrait of teenage deep-thinking” by The Guardian, which is exactly what it is considering Watson started writing songs and playing the guitar in her early teenage years; some of the tracks on the record were written when she was just thirteen years old.
Watson has got a uniquely gentle voice and an overall calming attitude and when she sings you can hear the raw emotions, which combined with the captivating melodies her tracks posses, creates a lovely atmosphere. The progression and flow of the tracks is cleverly done and draws the listeners in from the very beginning and the instrumental interludes add an element of calmness before the storm in the best way possible. Lyrically the album portrays amazing song-writing skills. SOAK has turned her thoughts into poetic and relatable lyrics that deal with common issues in a mature way beyond her years – ‘Blud’, for example, tackles family relationships: “Hear the anger through the ceiling / I wish I missed it”.
Before We Forgot How To Dream is a beautifully-wrought album, full of musical turns that showcase Watson’s uniquely sweet and haunting voice, as well as lyrics that marry a sunny and romantic sense of nostalgia with frank treatments of human failings, hopes and dreams. It’s an atmospheric, sincere and exceptionally well-crafted record by one of the best new artists around and it’s for this reason SOAK deserves to win the Mercury Prize 2015 Album of the Year Award.
Words by Caroline Østergaard