In her previous incarnation, Clara Hill specialised in fairly anonymous vocals for tracks with Sonar Kolletiv, the Berlin-based label founded by the DJ and production team Jazzanova.
Walk The Distance marks a sea change after a four year break from recording.
In an interview with The Quietus, she explains "I wanted to break the smooth sound of the past which sometimes, in retrospect, lacks depth."
While there is still a distinctly chilled-out vibe to this album, the the ten songs have more in common with nu-folk than nu-soul/jazz. The glitchy-ambient brushstrokes create a hazy downbeat mood that is sometimes reminiscent of Beth Orton's Trailer Park.
There's a nice sleepily abstract quality to tracks like Insomnia and Night Work while the lead single Lost Winter has more of a psych-pop feel.
The nine and a half minutes of Glacial Moraine evokes a still, wintry atmosphere; as the vocals fade, it ends with three minutes of quiet spectral hum.
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Framed by the tracks Konkav and Konvex, each featuring wordless vocals, this carefully sequenced album was clearly conceived to be listened to in its entirety.
With titles like Walk The Distance and Heading Out the suggestion is that Hill is embarking on a journey but whatever the destination is, the languid mood indicates she is in no hurry to get there.
As British colonialists were wont to say: 'slowly slowly catchee monkey'.
Clara Hill's website
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