803048 Records DK (label)
12 March 2018 (released)
23 March 2018
Chiara Berardelli returns with her emotional third album Seamonster.
For many having children is one of their greatest achievements, bringing with it a sense of profound happiness. Conversely, being unable to, must surely be one of the hardest challenges to have to face.
This latest work follows the musician’s inner turmoil upon hearing the sad news and living life in its wake.
With the tinkling of a music box in the opener, ‘Free Floating Love’, Berardelli tenderly expounds on loving someone even before they grace the world. The Scotsman sings:
“Love with no name Yet as real as I’m standing here Waiting for a place to land”.
The LP serves as a 10- track journey through the heart-breaking chapter in Berardelli’s life. The gentle bookend ‘The Best Is yet to Come’, finally sees the artist ready to move on with the next phase of her life, the storm having past. Unfortunately, as the project proves along the way getting through grief is anything but smooth sailing.
The album chronicles the pain of acceptance, (‘Seamonster’) depression, (‘Deep Space Hibernation’), and the strain on a relationship (‘Another Planet’).
It’s a heartfelt LP that opens up to the listener, allowing confessional lyrics to do the work.
As Chiara utters lines like, “It's not that I want life to stop It's more I'd like to get off …”, It’s easy to sympathize, empathize, and relate to sentiments that are surely not too far away for many a person’s mind as they face the specter of grief.
In one of the record’s highlights ‘Best Friend’, Berardelli is starting to slowly release herself from her emotional burden and gradually press forward.
With a bright and breezy Blue Grass feel, the track challenges some of the hollow sounding clichés to those being put through the emotional ringer and reminds them not to be too hard on themselves.
Seamonster provides half an hour of open and honest writing that wears its heart on the sleeve. It may yet prove welcome solace for those in a similar boat as they realize that they are not alone.
