·December 10, 2021·2 min read

Brianne Matthews – Metanoia | Airily Ambient

Brianne Matthews is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is great at creating music. This comes as no surprise seeing as Brianne began her musical journey from the age of 4. She has been writing songs since she was in school and has developed her skill to a great extent. Her latest release is an EP she has worked on for much time entitled Metanoia. The EP has a run time of just under a quarter of an hour and five songs to go with it.

We start the EP off on A Kaleidoscope of Her, an airy and ambient track that sounds kind of experimental in the intro. Once the verse starts, you are enchanted by Brianne’s vocals. It’s difficult to gauge the genre of music like this. However, you can’t dispute that the music is great. I love some classic Hip Hop elements like the beat and the arpeggio in the background. Moreover, the piano and synthesiser sound like an absolute dream. Brianne Matthews has some insane control over her voice, showcasing it through relatively long notes. The piece is a pretty groovy number to start the EP on.

Moving on to Before I Knew Your Name, I get a pretty strong Childish Gambino vibe from this track. The track seems to take R&B to a new height. Brianne has done a great job on this track considering each element has enough space in the mix, yet they overlap in the simplest ways. I love the vocal harmonies that give you this sort of divine energy throughout the track, but it’s not about a higher power.

My Saviour keeps with the slow tempo, R&B vibe. The beat keeps things interesting with the various percussive elements in place. However, Brianne Matthews absolutely kills the vocal work, especially with the harmonies. However, her vocal harmonies are not that far behind. The gospel element stands out here with how the titular Saviour is referenced to be Jesus Christ. I enjoy how this song kind of works as a testament as well to Brianne’s journey, possibly.

The second last track, Holding On, starts to break in the melancholic stuff. This track really slows things down from an already pretty slow spot. However, this track can really hit you deep with the harmony being accompanied by a lonely piano. I really admire the dynamic range that Brianne showcases. Her ability to sing the Blues and R&B with such ease is amiable. I’m unaware of who she collaborated with on this track, but the male backing vocals are such a joy to listen to. I love how the beat comes in with very minimal volume so as to not take away from the other three elements.

The final track on the Metanoia EP is Open Up. This track continues the ambient, airy textures and atmosphere. The beat is as dynamic as ever and Brianne’s vocals sound relaxed and experienced. I think Brianne Matthews doesn’t get enough credit for her compositional skills. While the execution is absolutely critical, the arrangement and composition need an extremely delicate hand to figure out.