Album Review: Beyries - 'Encounter'
Following the honest contemplation of her debut album Landing, French-Canadian artist Beyries delivers moments of empowering self-discovery balanced delicately on a warm soundscape of soft guitars and tinkling piano on sophomore record Encounter, which sees the singer-songwriter come into her own with confident strides.
Opening with hazy rhythm and lilting string sounds of “What We Have,” Beyries whose relationship with music relies heavily on personal, poetic lyricism shifts lanes, giving herself a chance to more mainstream electronic-alt sonic arrangements. She carries on the trend of ambitious instrumentals on tracks like “Over Me”, featuring soaring verses and glitchy chords as well as the strings-centric “Into You”.
Where her first album offered bleaker introspections on her life, her second foray is less fragile but far more experimental ; genre-hopping sensibilities replacing breezy productions and gentle deliveries. Though Beyries seems slightly unsure of herself as her song writing indicates “I’ve lost power/I’ve lost the key/Take time/Take cover/The water’s deep,” in “Over Me”, there is an undeniable fullness to Encounter’s musicality that feels like it comes from an experienced hand in the trade, whether on R&B cut “Keep it to Yourself” or pop offering “Out of Touch”.
However, despite the varied production of the first half of the eleven-track record, it’s not until hymnal “Great Green Eyes” or the graceful “Nous Sommes” that the album truly hits its peak. Moving from her journey of self-discovery on her debut to the unsure trial of the first few tracks of her sophomore album, Beyries is stronger than ever as she recaptures the breath-taking intimacy of her stories, this time with an added layer of self-assured defiance – thus coming full circle.
Closing track “Anymore,” is a brilliantly understated ending to Beyries efforts to reconnect with music. As she sings, “I don’t get angry anymore/I left a space inside the wall/I light the lights again before/I lock myself out the door,” you get the sense that she found peace, leaving behind the darker crevices of her past and present with a distinct boldness.
Haunting but fond, anxious yet comforting, Encounter captures tales coming straight from the singer’s heart. Overall, it encompasses Beyries’ evolution as an artist and as a person, giving us a glimpse of ever-growing artistry. If there’s anything left to be desired, it’s just the want for more intimate numbers, because that’s no doubt what she does best.
Words by Malvika Padin