The Cool Cloud of Okayness by Tara Jane O’Neil

Few sights inspire existential climate dread like the aftermath of a massive semiarid wildfire, an event that can turn centuries-old ecosystems into unrecoverable deserts overnight, but for those who are displaced by these disasters, the dread strikes a much more personal tone. The new psychedelic album The Cool Cloud of Okayness by Tara Jane O’Neil brings this narrative to life, telling the story of an artist who lost their home to a fire right as the pandemic caught the world in its vice grip. A Krautrock rhythm section structures the band’s free improvisations, forming the album’s core juxtaposition. On the one hand, the rhythm maintains a dark and fuzzy tone, symbolizing the slowly creeping horror that follows in the tracks of increasing climate-related disasters. On the other hand, O’Neil’s vocal and instrumental contributions build to a point of cautious optimism, finding a reason to believe in the future through art and community.