Canadian indie-pop outfit The Weather Station release their latest LP, ‘How Is It That I Should Look at The Stars’, a companion piece to 2021’s acclaimed, ‘Ignorance’.

‘Ignorance’ was packed full of pop charm, with toe-tapping hooks. It’s follow up, on the other hand, is an unapologetically heart-wrenching masterpiece.

Opening up the record is, ‘Marsh’ and the stage is set for this emotive powerhouse to take you in its grasp. Soft, dream-like keys combine with a voice so tender it sounds on the verge of tears to create something so delicate you’re worried it’ll break on its way to your ears.

Lead single, ‘Endless Time’ follows on and the tenderness established in the opening track makes way for sheer heartbreak as the vocal delivery becomes much more intimate. Keys sync up with the vocals to bring you closer to them, with each word being enunciated with crystal clear quality.

The record reaches its emotive crescendo with the one-two punch of, ‘Sway’ and ‘Sleight of Hand’. With the former the piano takes on a darker, more regimented sound. This rudimentary beat combined with the opening tales of listening to a song for the first time create a sense of child-like glee. This is emphasised within the line, “nobody gets to see you dance like this, but me.” The sheer joy within this memory is made all the more heart-breaking within the context of the record.

‘Sleight of Hand’ is the high point of the record, it returns to just pure, gut-wrenching emotion. The frustration of the narrator builds through lines such as, “I only ever wanted to be understood”. This frustration boils over till the flood gates burst open, but as vocalist Tamara Lindeman says, “there’s nothing inside.”

How Is It That I Should Look at The Stars is an emotive, gut punching and heart breaking masterpiece. A record focused upon emotion using not only lyrics, but melody to drive this point home to those listening. A complete 180 turn from the highs of, ‘Ignorance’, it takes glee in bringing you along on its tender journey. So strap in because How Is It That I Should Look at The Stars is set to take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride.