“Eyes on Mine” by The Declining Winter

The Declining Winter’s Really Early, Really Late is a lush album that pulls together all of the various musical ideas that Richard Adams has been pursuing since the days of Hood, from pastoral post-rock to downtempo electronica. By contrast, this year’s Last April is a much more stripped down affair, with Adam’s world-weary voice and plainspoken acoustic guitar taking center stage.

Adams’ music has always possessed an autumnal melancholy — which is precisely what drew me to it in the first place — but the melancholy in Last April’s songs is driven by grief. Adams’ mother passed away in April 2022, and these six songs (eight, if you purchase the album on Bandcamp) are clearly driven by his efforts to grapple with the loss. Case in point: album opener “Eyes on Mine” finds Adams reflecting on his mother’s final days and recounting precious memories (“I’ve never been prouder of anyone else/As we went up the slope on that cold winter’s day/All of your family there at your side/We all looked on with awe at the joy in your eyes”).

The bluntness and directness in Adams’ lyrics and close-miced vocals, with each syllable enunciated for effect, are almost uncomfortable to hear; it feels like a violation of privacy to listen to any such raw expression of grief. Meanwhile, Sarah Kemp’s (Brave Timbers) rich violin arrangements offer a measure of solace and grace that, at the same time, heighten the poignancy in Adams’ song.

Last April is currently available via London’s Second Language Music.