Petal - Magic Gone

Rating:

‘Magic Gone’ builds strength and resolve from the most vulnerable moments.

Following a successful run of tours with the likes of Kevin Devine and Julien Baker, Petal returns with ‘Magic Gone’, ten tracks of assured songwriting and emotional depth. On her second album, having come out the other side of treatment for mental health issues, Petal’s Kiley Lotz is finding catharsis and clarity in her music. From the punky fuzz of ‘Better than You’ that opens the album to the closing strains of the ambitious ‘Stardust’, ‘Magic Gone’ builds strength and resolve from the most vulnerable moments.

Lotz tackles themes of isolation, mental illness and sexuality with a remarkable assurance, her strident vocals anchoring each track and driving the record forward. Stripped back to a softly strummed electric guitar, ‘I’m Sorry’ makes heart-break euphoric by its end, as a full band kicks in for the final chorus of the five-minute track. The confidence to dictate the sparse opening before inviting in the rhythm section speaks of Lotz’ growing accomplishment as a songwriter, which more than any of the instrumentals is the focus of ‘Magic Gone’.

With the first half of the record being written pre-treatment, the second half makes space for more sombre, reflective tracks, the piano-led ‘Something for Me’ in particular giving Julien Baker a run for her money in the emotional stakes.