Shore, the fourth studio album from Fleet Foxes, presents itself as an exciting new chapter in this band’s story. Recorded mostly in quarantine after a 3-year hiatus, it explores a more personal and introspective reflection on many different aspects of life such as celebrations of icons past and emotional bars in relationships. Each track brings a different feel to it, making it one of their most diverse albums stylistically, while still sticking to their acoustic roots.
The album opens with “Wading in Waist-High Water,” sung by Uwade Akhere, whom very keen listeners may recognize from singing back-up vocals on “Mykonos” from their 2008 EP Sun Giant. This track sets the tone for the album, being both joyful and anxious of what is to come in the future. Tracks 2 and 4, “Sunblind” and “Jara,” respectively, serve as an homage to artists who have shaped not just the sounds of Fleet Foxes, but have impacted most people today. They reference artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, John Prine, and Elliot Smith. “Jara” itself is somewhat of a “eulogy” (in singer Robin Pecknold’s terms) to Chilean folk singer Victor Jara and how he lived his life, including his eventual, tragic death.
The song “Can I Believe You” changes the tone a bit, focusing more on the singers thoughts and feelings. Again, Pecknold described this as a way of expressing “hang-ups” that one may have while in a relationship – learning to trust the other person and wanting to break your emotional barriers, but at the same time being terrified of doing those things. The album closes out with the title track “Shore,” a song about holding onto your comforts and clinging to those you love, while at the same time, knowing you have to let go a little and push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to truly grow. The song is both chaotic yet calming, again emphasizing the internal conflict of trying something new and making yourself vulnerable to the world.
Those who know Fleet Foxes will recognize their musical style throughout this album (heavy layering and acoustic sounds) while also finding new things to love about this band, while first-time listeners will get a good look into what Fleet Foxes represents and how dedicated they are to their work. I would recommend this album to anyone, as almost everyone would find something to love about it.
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