'Esmé Patterson Channels Ray Bradbury on Latest Album ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’

So I wrote an album review for WXAV.com. I think it turned out pretty good. I hope you enjoy it and listen to the album.

‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ isn’t just a short story in Ray Bradbury’s seminal work The Martian Chronicles; it’s also the title and inspiration of Esmé Patterson’s fourth solo album released in March of 2020.

I first heard of Patterson a few years ago when she and William Elliott Whitmore participated in the ‘Play Each Other’s Songs’ series. I was immediately taken by Patterson’s cover of ‘Not Feeling Pain Anymore’. Her vocal performance on the song is utterly beautiful. There’s a strength to her voice that is yet underlined by a vulnerability that creates this balance that immediately connections the listener to her.

Needless to say, that strength and vulnerability carry over to ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’, as it does not disappoint in its catchiness, hooks, lyrical content, and overall beauty. Patterson’s vocals sound almost angelic on ‘Light in Your Window’. There’s a longing in this song that is so relatable. Add to that an incredible 80s sounding synth keyboard, and you have pure perfection. For me, this is the standout track of the album.

In addition to a cool 80s pop vibe on ‘Light in Your Window’ and ‘Shelby Tell Me Everything’, she is able to achieve a funky blues vibe on ‘Out The Door’, an indie alternative vibe on almost like the Black Keys on ‘Sleeping Around’, and an almost singer/songwriter style on ‘Take It Easy’. You could almost say, there’s a little bit of everything on ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’.

On an album description sheet sent to WXAV, Patterson describes the songs as the album as: “…echo[ing] the surrender of starting over and failing and starting over again many times. I was hoping to convey the bittersweet peace of letting go alongside the courage to start again, being swallowed by fear and pain and coming out the other side stronger.” I couldn’t agree more.

If you are looking for an album of great indie-pop music with deeply personal lyrics, look no further than ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’. It’s one of my favorite albums of 2020. Also, read Bradbury’s short story. It’s incredible too.