Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs (Album Review)

Everyone loves to hear a record that has personality to it. Jessica Pratt‘s latest record Quiet Signs has a cinematic essence to it, its lowkey production and vintage vibe providing the perfect atmosphere for her to tell her stories.

You get a great sense of what Quiet Signs is all about right from the opening track, the piano instrumental ‘Opening Night.’ Calm, cool, and almost cinematic piano chords envelop you with a gentle and endearing nature. As soon as the piano leaves off, ‘As The World Turns‘ brings Pratt’s vocals into the light, the gentle and mysterious track showing off Pratt’s timbre. It’s Pratt’s voice that adds half the heart to the record, the beautiful harmonies of ‘Silent Song‘ and the way she sings her story in the gentle ballad ‘Fare Thee Well‘ is more than enough to bring the record together.

Quiet Signs is a subtle album, in part due to its production. There’s never a climax on the record, Pratt opting to take the slow and calm route throughout the album. The sweet flow of tracks like ‘Poly Blue‘ keep the record moving ahead while the other tracks keep things more lowkey. The vintage sound of the production is also a highlight of the record, especially evident in tracks like ‘Here My Love.’ The fairy-tale like atmosphere of ‘Crossing‘ and the gentle album closer ‘Aeroplane‘ keep the mood of the record alive, keeping things subtle yet focussed all the same.

It doesn’t take a lot of climax in a record to really make a splash. Jessica Pratt tells her story in the vintage Quiet Signs, remaining true to herself and keeping things low-key yet still engaging from beginning to end. Go into this record ready to learn about someone rather than to have a good time; though if you go into it correctly, there’s no reason you can’t do both.

Favorite Track: Silent Song

Least Favorite Track: Poly Blue

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy Quiet Signs on Apple Music, and follow our 2019 Playlist on Spotify: