Eleanor Friedberger – New View

Recorded in a converted barn studio near her new home in upstate New York, former Fiery Furnaces frontwoman Eleanor Friedburger’s third solo record is her first following a move from Brooklyn, combining timeless indie pop melodies with her signature lyrical sneakiness.

From the gliding guitar progression of He Didn’t Mention His Mother and the swelling Open Season, New View is a warm and rustic listen, Friedberger dressing sharply drawn narratives in a classic folk sound that makes the album as cosy as an old jumper.

These songs are so immediately inviting, it’s easy to miss Friedberger’s crafty shifts; Because I Asked You is deceptively simple with its jaunty Wurlitzer and doo-wop guitar before the chorus flips the song’s repeated questioning to reveal an earnest appreciation of intimacy. Like Friedberger’s last two records, one appreciates New View as one does a steady relationship. Just when it all seems familiar, you're struck by a specific detail and realise you’ve started to smile.