The Green Children // Encounter

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You may not be familiar with the duo of Tom 'Marlow' Bevan and Milla Sunde aka The Green Children, but they have been around for the last few years. Gradually, the pieces have come together and finally we have the first official album from the group (there was a limited self titled album released a few years ago).

The title track, Encounter, is a retelling of the English tale from which the duo take their name from leading into the current single Dragons, arguable the fastest paced track from the album. R U Out There? returns to the more mellow and slower pace of the rest of the album.
The opening guitar piece of Black Magic may lead you to believe that you are listening to another song whilst Skies On Fire has an otherworldly feel. Life Was Beautiful and Hear Me Now are both beautiful ballads (both previously released as singles). Price Of Fame could be seen a generic look at what fame does to someone's life. If Tell Me was the final track on the album, it would end on a darkish note. However, it ends with a beautiful acoustic version of Hear Me Now, heavily driven by the piano

The album is a welcomed change from what, over the past few years, has become the norm. Whilst the pop/electronic sound keeps them relevant, lyrically, their songs are more meaningful, almost giving you a feeling of a wisdom beyond their years. The songs provide a mythical/fantasy feeling and is an album that you can listen to for the purposes of relaxation and be taken to another place. Purely looking at the album on it's own and ignoring anything before it, it's a great little collection of songs. They're not trying to be like anyone else. They don't have to be. They won't be to everyone's taste however, they should be given a listen to.

Rating: 4.5/5