Heather Woods Broderick – Admiration

28th February 2023 · 2020s, 2023, Music

I first came across Heather Woods Broderick when she was playing keyboards for Sharon Van Etten at Cargo in Shoreditch, back in 2012. It was the first time I had seen Shaz, who was promoting her third album Tramp and would go on to become my favourite singer.

I remember there was some sort of comedy incident between the pair of them, with Broderick the butt of a lengthy anecdote involving a borrowed or stolen pencil – which became a running gag throughout the show.

At the end I chatted to both of them and Heather gave me a copy of her solo album, which turned out to be a dreamy folk-tinged kind of affair embellished with ambient electronic soundscapes.

Like Van Etten, her style has developed further in that direction, especially on this song: a lean, intimate and meditative affair inspired by the simple beats and hooks of ‘90s hip hop, embedded with soft synths reminiscent of (dare I suggest) 1989-era Phil Collins.

It’s the third track from her forthcoming fifth album, Labyrinth, during a trip to her former family home in coastal Oregon, during the wildfires in 2020, while alone in an area surrounded by heavy smoke on all sides.

“I was scared and missing my partner, not knowing whether I should evacuate or which road I’d have the best chance to get out on,” says Broderick, who was touring last year with Beth Orton. “Amidst my fear and feelings of helplessness amplifying the current state of the world, I was also remembering what I have to be grateful for – trying to use fear and uncertainty as a vehicle for hope.”