Album Review // The Weather Station // Humanhood

Fat Possum Records

4.5/5 stars

Alluring and complex, this follow up to The Weather Station's 2021 landmark album Ignorance illustrates a rich new chapter in the band's story. Led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Tamara Lindeman, this Toronto-based group is currently composed of five other musicians. Kieran Adams, Ben Boye, Philippe Melanson, Karen Ng, and Ben Whitely, along with Lindeman recorded Humanhood by live improvising in two takes. It's a rather surprising fact considering the feeling of orchestration and structuring. Perfect for fans of Cassandra Jenkins, the band creates a flooding atmosphere awash with beauty and a relegated sadness. This 45-minute journey is decidedly more downtempo than their last offering, though not purposefully languid, especially in early tracks like "Neon Signs" and "Window." Artful and intelligent, with unique instrumentation that blends electronic and analog synths and percussion with beautiful saxophone and flute, this is an album to meditate on and savor. As if perceived in a dreamlike cloud, each track wafts into the next beautifully. It's at once both relaxing, cathartic, and painful.