Album Review: Brooke Surgener // Moon Waves

Lucky Cat Chambers

After four years of various singles and a self-titled EP, the debut album from Erie's own Brooke Surgener has arrived, and it sounds every bit as sweet as the songs for which she's become known. Moon Waves is a singer-songwriter's album through and through, chock-full of organic instrumentation and melodies carried by Surgener's soft vocals, occasionally bordering on a whisper.

Surgener's voice adds a delicate texture to songs that are already clear-cut about their subject matter; take for instance "Tidal Waves," which recalls the presence of a lost loved one, or the deceptively simple "For My Dog," a sweet and straightforward ode to our love affair with (hu)man's best friend. But for every song designed to make listeners think or feel, there's another designed to put a smile on your face. "I hate you the least/It's my highest compliment to enjoy some company," she sings, against smooth slide guitars on the track "I Hate You the Least." Even better is "Gimme Gimme," which opens with dreamy guitars before transforming into a hand-clapping doo-wop song that is impossible to forget. On Moon Waves, Surgener has solidified her sound with a debut devoid of filler; the exciting part is seeing what she tries next.