Polly Jean moves forward and we are happy to tag along.

PJ Harvey’s discography is a quite complex body of work and can’t be summarised in a few words. Unlike the energetic confidence in Stories From The City Stories From The Sea (2000), the war charged cinematic ambiance of Let England Shake (2011) or even the sharp, intensity of White Chalk (2007), this tenth album finds inspiration not in grand ideas or forceful strength, but rather in reflection, fragmentation, and mystery.

After the ‘monumental’ Let England Shake and the ‘all right’ The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016) Harvey nearly gave up making music. The yearslong research and fieldwork in troubled places like Kosovo and Afghanistan took its toll. From here she rerouted into soundtracks and poetry. She even released a novel last year called Orlam. A career as full time poet seemed to be the logical next step if it wasn’t for Orlam, which kickstarted a new creative burst in songwriting. Instead of the laborious process of her earlier works the words for this album came out in about three weeks. Harvey underlines her newfound interest in music in opener, Prayer at The Gate, as she sings: “All souls under Orlam’s reign made passage for the born again.”

For production Harvey again turned to Flood and John Parish with whom she aimed to create something new, while still building upon her past work. The outcome is a literary work of art with no shortage of Biblical and Shakespearean references that are draped in moody melodies and the spare use of drums and electronica. The hesitating drum beats in Autumn Term perfectly fit Harvey’s fragile singing, while All Souls features minimalist electro sounds with muffled piano and broken beats and The Nether-edge does the same with a more glitchy approach. Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke would approve.

Just like most modern music I Inside The Old Year Dying also defies easy categorization. Harvey has been on the high ground of the indie rock scene for quite some time but now transcends to a timeless plateau as she straddles between genres and emotions. With help of Flood’s production hints of folk, gothic, post-rock, and orchestrals are blended with field recordings, traditional instruments and snippets found in audio libraries. Harvey intertwined her rich and elegant lyrics and touches themes of new beginnings, sad endings and tentative rebirth from the perspective of a young Dorset girl called Ira-Abel who goes through a transformative period. Still she manages to keep the atmosphere playful and eclectic, referencing everything from English supernatural myths “chalky children of evermore” on the title track to Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” on August.

Harvey’s fairytale-poem ends on a hopeful tone with A Noiseless Noise. Here she sings:  “Go home now, love, leave your wandering,” while the guitars gradually swell and eventually crash. Could the sudden heaviness be a fleeting memory of a younger PJ Harvey and, while looking in the mirror, she sees protagonist Ira-Abel? Who knows.

If we know one thing it is that I Inside The Old Year Dying is not about nostalgia but about exploring and commitment to reinvention. It demands close attention, revealing its surprises over time. Therefore this is the one of the most rewarding albums of the year thus far.

Label: Partisan, 2023

Buy it here: https://pjharvey.lnk.to/iinsidetheoldyeardying

Tracklist: 

1. Prayer at the Gate (4:14)
2. Autumn Term (3:20)
3. Lwonesome Tonight (3:48)
4. Seem an I (3:06)
5. The Nether-edge (3:17)
6. I Inside the Old Year Dying (1:52)
7. All Souls (4:21)
8. A Child’s Question, August (2:46)
9. I Inside the Old I Dying (3:08)
10. August (2:41)
11. A Child’s Question, July (3:02)
12. A Noiseless Noise (3:57)

Line-up: 

• PJ Harvey – vocals, guitar, piano, bass clarinet
• John Parish – drums, percussion, piano, variophon, trombone, guitar, production
• Cecil – field recording samples, voice samples, keyboards
• Flood – synth, field recording samples, production
• Ben Whishaw – backing vocals
• Colin Morgan – backing vocals

Review by Wander Meulemans // 310823