Greta O’Leary and her band Photo: Beth Torrance-Hetherington
The music of Greta O’Leary brooding and tender. Her new album, River Dark, weaves warm textures that quietly hold the listener in thrall. The sparsity of instruments and production leave room for O’Leary’s pure vocals at the forefront, a consistently refreshing presence in a reverie of slide guitar and understated parts in the rhythm sections.
The music is often billed as ‘spook-folk’, which seems fitting: O’Leary’s lyrics often explore dark themes, contrasting with her soft vocal delivery. Reflections on religious ideas (see: ‘Baptised at the Desktop Computer’) inform a folk-rooted aesthetic that feels almost gothic. It’s further characterised by chiaroscuro-esque visuals; the cover features O’Leary in a white dress in a moody blue dusk.
The band came up to the RNZ studios to perform three tracks off the album, and to chat with Maggie Tweedie about the writing process.
Setlist:
Good Girl
Baptised at the Desktop Computer
So Lucky
