You Are The Morning. jasmine.4.t

With You Are The Morning jasmine.4.t releases an album that is strong, varied and makes a statement on who she is. Let me start there for once and make a statement. Where have tolerance, acceptance, compassion and understanding gone in the last few years? Since Covid it seems like it has left the world. It most likely has not, but it certainly seems that way with right wing politicians creating the enemies they need to thrive on and an easy victim are the LHTBIQA+ people. jasmine.4.t is a transperson, so she must be a monster, if I am to believe too many current administrations and those striving to become one. If this is the silent majority coming back in power, then we better start bracing ourselves. The time to not look away is now. Live and let live, people. We all are the better for it when we do so.

Back to You Are The Morning. Things started with single 'Elephant', reviewed on this blog late in 2024. It made me curious to hear more and that more is here today. For jasmine.4.t things started when she started touring with a band of likeminded people. The songs are a sort of diary of her period before and of transitioning from the, for the outside world, man who grew up in Manchester to the woman she's today. All band members were able to support each other and You Are The Morning is the proof of that period of darkness and light.

Musically, the album reminds me of Canadian musician Patrick Watson, mostly because of the way of singing and in some songs because of the ethereal music as well. jasmine.4.t moves well beyond Watson, when she ventures into folk music and even indie rocks out.

The folk part brings to mind the folk music that was popular for a while about ten plus years ago, the hey-ho or ho-hey without that shout outs, but there are even short Irish references, like in the intro to 'Guy Fawkes Tesco Disociation', before the rock part of the album kicks in. The song certainly is my personal favourite of the album.

jasmine.4.t is the first U.K. signing to Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records. The album was produced by the three boygenius members. The good thing is that Baker, Bridgers and Dacus have not tried to copy their music but left the U.K. band in its own, allowing for an album that scales a light form of Antony and Patrick Watson to an indie rock band.

The delicate songs win out though, the ones telling the whole story of transitioning and all that affects the person undergoing it. It makes You Are The Morning a deeply personal album that is shared with the whole world. It may not be easy to keep singing these songs after life moved on and things hopefully keep getting better. That is why my live and let live comment above is so important. That's why I repeat it, live and let live and we'll all be the better for it. You Are The Morning is tangible proof of just that.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to You Are The Morning here:

https://jasmine4t.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-the-morning