Flo Perlin breaks the mold with her soulful and seductive new album Clay — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The third full-length release from the ascendant London singer-songwriter, Clay exists in a musical dimension where soul, R&B, pop, jazz and Latin elements mix, mingle and merge into a soothing backdrop for Perlin’s mesmerizing, vibrato-rich pipes. In addition to the soothing nature of her voice, she is able to create beautifully crafted, melodic and poetic songs that address common yet complex issues, intertwined with profound and personal perspectives.
Clay, the album’s title track, serves a metaphor for the human capacity to adapt and adjust to different experiences and challenges. Just like clay, we mold and change shapes. Another highlight is Mother Tongue, which reflects on her Iraqi and Belarusian heritage. Even though the language of her ancestors was not passed down through generations, she feels she inherited a way of expressing herself through music, conveying how we as descendants inherit our forebears’ traits regardless.
Friend Of Mine explores how we can be our own best friend or our worst enemy, expressing the importance of being good to the person you see in the mirror. Where She Started From shares her experience with depression and how it ebbs and flows. Part Of Me is about how our great loves stay within us. Based on Perlin’s experience of parting ways with a lover, this song articulates the initial feelings in a relationship of losing a part of yourself. Part Of Me also includes a cameo by sax player Kaidi Akinnibi, whose performance reflects his explorations in the vibrant U.K. music scene.
In addition to Perlin’s vocals and guitar, Clay’s lush musical setting was impeccably crafted by Duncan Thornley on synthesizer, electric guitar and percussion; Adam Hayes on drums and percussion; Jasper Osborn on electric and double bass; Ellie Consta on violin; Tim Gardener on keyboards and violin; Irene Katsenelson on viola; Simone Seals on cello; Matteo Busti on guitar and Simeon May on bass clarinet and tenor sax. The album was recorded at Map Studio in Kentish Town, mixed by Thornley and mastered by Cicely Balston.
Perlin began learning the cello at the age of five, later falling in love with the guitar when her Colombian teacher Cesar Rodriguez-Duran (who also taught Michael Kiwanuka) introduced her to bossa nova, which influenced her own fingerpicking style. Combining this experience with a diverse range of influences from artists such as Zero 7, Laura Marling, Buena Vista Social Club, Suzanne Vega and Erykah Badu enabled Flo to develop an accomplished talent, further enhanced by a vocal style that is instantly recognizable.
Her previous work has already gained her an international audience, with the single Baghdad achieving over 4.4 million streams, as well as air time across a whole range of leading radio stations. Perlin has graced the stage at a string of high-profile gigs and U.K. festivals. With Clay, she continues her creative journey, presenting her very best work to date as it is born in to the world, to be enjoyed those who appreciate sincere music of the highest quality.
Listen to Clay below and peruse more of Flo Perlin’s art on her website, Facebook and Instagram.
