Album Review: Dans un Revve – Boathouse

Redolent of long summer evenings and life events illuminated by starlight, Boathouse is both calming and refreshing.

The musical project of Los Angeles based musician Lindsay Marie, Dans un Revve, brings a new dynamic to DIY music – the album was written and recorded at her home, with friends coming on board to bring it to fruition.

That doesn’t prepare you for the lush and sometimes complex arrangements or the way that Boathouse glides over genre boundaries to deliver ten tracks that layer on contemplative and atmospheric themes, never losing focus on the importance of melody.

With a brief intro that is inventive, utilising studio know-how and vocal mastery, the scene is set for an album that tugs at the heartstrings, thanks to a voice that has a distinctly folk-like sensibility and the magnolia-drenched noirish textures of Lana Del Rey.

Atlas has an air of intimacy; however, rather than going for spectacle in the arrangement, it lets voice and piano drive the emotional message of the song. It’s followed by Blackberries, which has a similar vocal/piano combo, expanding that into a fusion of sound and melody that is uptempo and melancholy. I’d pair the song with Video Games, as it has a similar emphasis on a relationship, with lyrics that are equally visual and evocative.

The album isn’t averse to exploring dark and folkish terrain, especially on Tarry. It subverts expectations, periods of relative silence within the track broken by a hum and drone. The latter are not a distraction, however, allowing the vocals and prose-like lyrics to shine like an unpolished diamond – natural and imperfect.

Tones shift from track to track, always feeling like a natural and fluid progression: an acoustic guitar frames Letter to a Young Poet, with piano and the distant echo of an electric guitar defining A Theory of Lilies. Each track on Boathouse has the most perfect balance in production, vocals, and arrangement: none dominate, with Anados and Light Blue showing the way here most effectively. The vocals are occasionally pitched for added effect, yet the human presence remains, and the lyrics always keep heart and soul at their centre.

Predominantly ballads, much of the internal energy of the album comes from the powerful vocal presence and the visual, emotionally intelligent lyrics, fragments of life experiences that capture an essence reminiscent of indie cinema. Closing tracks Unbreaking and Belong hit that state of being wonderfully intimate in tone; universal in nature, like miniature passion plays.

Dans un Revve works within the music industry in Los Angeles, but not as an artist – in fact, she’s an unsigned indie artist. It makes the album all the more remarkable, and hopefully it is recognised as such.

Boathouse by Dans un Revve was released on the 29th of May and can be heard on all major music platforms, including Spotify and YouTube Music. Head to Instagram for all the latest news from Lindsey and Dans un Revve.