“‘Green’ has the strength to carry Fox and her music beyond the confines of our East Coast Bubble and into the wider world.”
Matt Carter
If you can listen to Kylie Fox’s debut album, Green, and not tear up at least once, you have no soul. None. You’re dead inside.
Since I was a kid, I’ve used this emotional gauge (I call it “the tear test”) to rate and rank some of my favourite albums. I wouldn’t say it’s a universal method – it doesn’t always work when dealing with heavier music, although I’d never say never – but when it comes to folk music, a genre I’ve always held close to my heart, “did it make you cry?” is a fair question for evaluating the emotional impact generated by those rare combinations of words and music we spend our lives searching for.
As a New Brunswicker, Fox’s latest work packs an additional gut punch. As a fan of all things local, especially music, I, like so many others across our province, have been fortunate to witness Fox’s development as a songwriter and a performer. In little more than four years, we’ve watched her evolve from penning borderline novelty songs packed with relatable and sometimes awkward humour, into an artist whose ability to distill observation into song far exceeds the local average.
But this news shouldn’t come as a total surprise. Fox has been teasing audiences for months, sharing singles going back as far as a year that hinted towards what we could expect from this album. Beginning with the release of This Beer, back in 2019, Fox’s growth and development as a musician slowly became clearer and clearer. Still, the impact of hearing these songs together as one collection tops any satisfaction that may have come from hearing This Beer, Cradle Me, Avocado and Cool Feet as individual single releases. Green is where these songs (and seven others) find their true home.
This album has the strength to carry Fox and her music beyond the confines of our East Coast Bubble and into the wider world. There are songs she has penned for her friends, and others that celebrate her home and her experiences, each told with a comforting tone and warmth. There’s a little something for everyone on Green. I encourage you to have a listen, shed a tear, and take comfort in the fact that for all 2020 has thrown at us so far, there’s still a little good left in this world.
Kylie Fox | WEB | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
