Geography may have a lot to do with why Swirl, the full-length debut album from Flora Hibberd, successfully checks so many boxes. Hibberd is British but currently based in Paris, and Swirl was recorded in, of all places, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This unique confluence of locations may contribute to the record’s worldly sound and ability to meld various styles and approaches seamlessly while still maintaining a unique voice.
First things first: Hibberd, who sings and plays guitar and keyboards on the record, also wrote all of the songs, and they sound like the result of someone who’s soaked up encyclopedias full of pop, rock, and folk music. The compositions are exquisite, engaging, and mature. With the aid of longtime collaborator Victor Claass (who also plays guitar, keyboards, and bass), Flora Hibberd traveled to Eau Claire to record the album – a follow-up of her 2021 EP Hold – with producer Shane Leonard at his home studio. While it may seem like an unlikely location, Eau Claire is the hometown of Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon, located between Green Bay and Minneapolis, and has become something of an indie-rock nerve center.
While Leonard contributed instrumentation on Swirl, he also recruited drummer JT Bates (Bon Iver, Taylor Swift), pedal steel player Ben Lester (Sufjan Stevens, the Tallest Man on Earth), bassist Pat Keen, and vocalist JE Sunde to round out the sound. The result is a tight, versatile combo that serves Hibberd’s songwriting exceptionally well. Kicking off the album is the art pop of “Auto Icon”, where Hibberd, a translator of art history texts, incorporates her interest in words and lost signals. “There you go again,” she sings. “Attaching meaning / Thumbing the archives / Of this feeling.” In the chorus, she sings, “Radio memory / Pouring into the stormcloud brain / And I drink it in.” Meanwhile, the band shuffle along with angular, new wave confidence.
Hibberd’s European surroundings likely contributed to the jazzy, cosmopolitan feel of “Remote Becoming Holy”, imbued with a cool, detached sophistication that sounds lifted from another era, like a recently unearthed chestnut from Serge Gainsbourg or Scott Walker during his Jacques Brel era. But once that song ends, Hibberd and her conspirators flip the switch with the loping, catchy, low-key playfulness of the single “Code”, which continues to explore the fascination with codes and decoding. Mixing wobbly synths with twangy guitar leads, Hibberd and the band fall into an instantly lovable groove. “How clearly the last transmission cam burning from your radio to mine,” she sings. “I keep one ear on the line.” The warm, analog production with its random sonic oddities sounds like Cate Le Bon producing Let It Be.
There’s a distinct elegance to Flora Hibberd’s voice. She’s not a belter, but her singing exudes graceful sophistication, whether it’s with the acoustic guitar-anchored folk of “Every Incident Has Left Its Mark” – adding tasteful bits of electric piano and guitar while skirting lines between Nick Drake and the deep melancholy of Elliott Smith, before descending into an unexpected, cacophonous coda – or in the lush country landscape of “Canopy”, which recalls classic 1970s singer-songwriter aesthetics with the disarming vocal harmonies and Lester’s achingly beautiful pedal steel providing the perfect bits of coloring.
Elsewhere, Swirl finds Hibberd and the band exploring various stylistic avenues. “Jesse” is a hip-swinging psych-rock gem, complete with whirling organ and trippy but understated effects. The propulsive “Lucky You” is a delightful slice of post-punk with guitar riffs and tambourines that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Pretenders album. “Still No Closer” takes a deep dive into tropical waters with a laid-back vibe and a ringing, reverb-drenched guitar figure.
Swirl closes gently with “Ticket”, as acoustic guitar fingerpicking leads to elegant, mesmerizing bass and drum interplay and an odd, delightful synth solo. “You take me by surprise,” Hibberd sings repeatedly. Anyone discovering the uncommon magic of what Flora Hibberd does on this absolutely striking debut will be pleasantly surprised at how well these 11 tracks hang together. There is grace, timelessness, an accurate ear for classic songcraft, and production touches that wrap the whole thing in a glorious bow. If Swirl doesn’t end up on a truckload of year-end best-of lists by December, there’s little justice in the world. The record is an unmitigated masterpiece.