Oracle Sisters have a nearly mythical origin story. Lewis Lazar is from Denmark, Chris Willatt is from Northern Ireland, and Julia Johansen is from Sweden. Lazar and Willatt first met as teenagers in Belgium. Life later separated them, with Lazar moving to New York and Willatt to Scotland. In 2016, they reunited in Paris to help run a friend’s cabaret. Surrounded by artists, tarot card readers, soothsayers, and astrologists, the fertile grounds sparked a musical collaboration that expanded with the addition of Julia Johansen. Oracle Sisters became a trio.
The same sense of transience permeates their second full-length LP, Divinations. While touring Europe, North America, and Asia, the group wrote and recorded the album in fragments. Some tracks were recorded at their home base in Paris. Other parts were recorded in a Los Angeles studio or a Northern France barn. The group’s intricate layering of instruments creates a full sound, unbound by the limitations of three individuals. Oracle Sisters are at their best when given the freedom to experiment, and the album offers ample space for that exploration.
Since all the members are multi-instrumentalists, the creative spark never dwindles. Principal songwriters Lazar and Willatt typically handle guitar and vocals while Johansen provides drums. That doesn’t mean that Johansen, a singer-songwriter in her own right, doesn’t take up vocals on the sassy “Talk Is Cheap”. The fact that the trio possess such talents creates a sense that writer’s block is a foreign affliction. Their diverse backgrounds converge to create an amalgamated musical style.
Divinations at its core tampers with mellow indie rock. To one end, Oracle Sisters channels 1960s folk rock with imaginative storytelling on “Velveteen” and “Rodeo”. Their surrealist inspiration reveals itself in the “Alouette” chorus: “Out in the garden the pirates sing their song / The owls and the artists and they always sing along.” Elsewhere, “Blue Left Hand” is inspired by the book Caliban and the Witch. “Marseille”, on the other hand, evokes 1980s pop with its dance beat and synthesizers.
On “Shotguns”, Oracle Sisters delve into a bit of psychedelia after a Beatles reference: “Shotguns ringing in the dead of night.” During the bridge section, a bit of kookiness is added with its random sound samples of monkeys and lasers. Lap steel melodies waiver up and down to a surprising delight. Other nuances in the arrangement with the layering of instruments—melodically and harmonically—appear after repeat listens. The deliberate fullness and completeness of the songs speak to their musical chemistry.
Oracle Sisters named the album Divinations in reference to their conception of songwriting. The process is mysterious to them, especially when they admit a limited understanding of music theory. However, the songwriting process comes together, the group arrives at a fulfilling destination. Inherent talent, skillful arrangements, and a bohemian spirit allow them to transcend boundaries. Even if they would rather leave their future up to the tarot deck, Oracle Sisters seem poised for great things.