S

Listening to S is like being the only other person in a room where a secret is being told. The music is defined by its profound stillness and a sense of heavy, unvarnished reality. Jenn Champion crafts songs that are stripped of artifice, relying on clean, often lonely electric guitar lines and a vocal delivery that feels like it’s happening inches from your ear. It is the sound of the Pacific Northwest at its most introspective and grey.

What makes this project distinctive is the contrast between the warmth of the analog instrumentation and the cold, almost clinical precision of the lyrics. While many artists in the slowcore orbit lean into reverb and wash, S often keeps the mix dry and claustrophobic. The occasional inclusion of primitive drum machine loops or subtle electronic blips adds a modern, slightly anxious edge to the traditional singer-songwriter framework.

Start with the album 'Cool Choices' if you want a slightly more polished entry point into her world of heartbreak and self-reflection. For those who want the rawest, most quintessential 'S' experience, 'Puking and Crying' offers a masterclass in the beauty of being completely, unapologetically sad.