Keeper of the Shepherd by Hannah Frances

To see ourselves clearly, we must witness our reflection in the eyes of another. A thunderclap of realization hits when we realize that this person feels just as hollow and damaged as we do, resulting in the doom spiral that produced Keeper of the Shepherd by Hannah Frances. Increasingly throughout the record, Frances bemoans her inability to bond with others, resulting in a worsening cycle of internalization. Musically, this singer-songwriter album focuses on Frances’ dramatic, dynamic vocals, assembling a band of guitar, drums, bass, and saxophone to bring her touching words to the forefront. Though this album mostly follows the folksy songwriting pattern of stringing verses together, Frances’ judicious use of chorus repetition brings the world crashing down on a handful of particularly poignant emotional realizations. In the end, Frances decides that a stoic acceptance of personal and interpersonal emptiness will minimize our pain, leaving the album on a somber note as she continues to navigate this trying moment in her life.