Review | “Moves with balletic intricacy” Anna Mieke – Theatre

Theatre moves with balletic intricacy. Anna Mieke’s sophomore offering twists and turns with blurred indie-folk motion, underpinned by deeply woven musicality. All of which pulled into focus by Mieke’s commanding central performance, as it captures mood and tone with swift harmonic gestures. 

Intimacy lies at the heart of Theatre. From the gradual fade-in of ‘Twins’ to the song’s building textural turbulence, the record establishes a composed stature of balance and variation, with Mieke’s voice at its core, tracks ‘For A Time’ tip-toe and dance around the beautifully set backdrop of Theatre. These undulating forces are tied together by organic array of sounds that form the album’s foundational soundscapes.

Theatre is a record comprised of movements. Each of the eight tracks is given time to breathe and explore the space they occupy. The sprawling ‘Caroline’ sways from dynamic repose to musical entanglement and back again with slow-burn patience. While the deep-bodied allows ‘Salt’ to resonate with embedded rhythms and weaving vocal lines. 

The ebb and flow of ‘Mannequin’ best capture Theatre’s sonic sense of space. Exploring the spectrum of musicality throughout Theatre, the song rises and falls in the blink of an eye as Anna Mieke’s vocals follow suit. Built from layers of tangled atmosphere, ‘Mannequin’ mirrors Theatre in its shape and scale.    

And so it goes, Theatre dances with grand, expressive musical gestures. Anna Mieke’s second album never breaks its focus, creating an over-arching sense of shape that flows throughout. Theatre entrances with every lyric, note and beat.