Review Summary: another great listen for those laid-back late nights
Considering how Dorthia Cottrell’s self-titled solo debut has remained in constant rotation for me since its 2015 release, it’s intriguing to see her return to the sound eight years later. Death Folk Country lives up to that title and is similar to its predecessor on the surface, featuring a haunting overcast with sparse acoustic instrumentation and ghostly echoing vocals. The album also takes the time to explore that spooky atmosphere to even further extents than before.
This approach is especially apparent during the album’s first half. Coming off the ambient prelude, “Harvester” and “Black Canyon” show an experimental side with their abstract textures and crawling builds paralleling Chelsea Wolfe in her most subdued moods. It can admittedly take a minute to feel these tracks out, but lead single “Family Annihilator” is more defined in its contemplations with subtle organs coming in and subsequently taking on an almost funerary air on ”Effigy at the Gates of Ur.”
Following the sharper blues groove at the midway point on “Midnight Boy,” the back half pivots to a more straightforward campfire folk sound in line with her debut. “Take Up Serpents” and “Eat What I Kill” in particular would’ve fit right in there, the latter making for a pleasant comedown before another ambient segment closes things out. “Hell in my Water” reaches back a bit further as its simple strums and hazy vibes feel close to the spirit of Windhand circa 2013’s Soma.
With the time between Cottrell’s two albums, it’s great to see Death Folk Country pick up where her debut left off without being too samey. The songwriting and musicianship do well in balancing the more accessible and experimental tracks. It feels almost like a transitional effort as one can imagine the latter elements taking greater hold if there’s anything more to follow in the future. In the meantime, it’s another great listen for those laid-back late nights.
