Album Review: Skullcrusher - 'Quiet the Room'
Exploring the puzzle pieces of her own memories, singer songwriter Helen Ballentine, professionally known as Skullcrusher, ponders her past and introverted nature in the ethereal debut album ‘Quiet the Room’, due October 14th.
Following her 2020 EP ‘Skullcrusher’, Helen Ballentine is set to release a debut that holds a level of introspection and wisdom well beyond her years. Ballentine has created an absolutely haunting yet beautiful sound that flows throughout the whole album, intricately conjoining each song together seamlessly.
Opening track ‘They Quiet the Room’ is a perfect example of the beautifully harrowing sound that Ballentine has created for this album. Originally a subtle and simplistic song that solely relies on an acoustic guitar, Ballentine’s airy vocals, and a set of subtle drums, this opener introduces a small chaos that somehow goes unnoticed until it is in full swing. Once the outro has arrived in ‘They Quiet the Room’, a swelling mass of high pitched strings and buzzing have embedded themselves into the piece, introducing the beautiful chaos to come within this album.
‘Whatever Fits Together’, the most recent single from ‘Quiet the Room’, boldly showcases the folk inspirations taken to create this album; with names and albums such as Bon Iver’s earlier releases, and Phoebe Bridgers’s melancholic lyricism coming to mind upon an initial listen of ‘Whatever Fits Together’. Ballentine takes these likely inspirations and makes them her own, resulting in a moody and alluring track with just a hint of confusion to match her lyrics. Ballentine’s overlapping, echoed, vocals match her introspective lyrics that grasp at memories almost helplessly, creating an immensely emotional single.
‘Whatever Fits Together’ ponders Ballentine’s own past, piecing together fragmented and broken memories into a more cohesive story for her to follow. This notion is most notable in lines such as “I left home in the summer / I cried in the stairway / When I hugged my brother / I tried to hide my face”; while simple and self explanatory in nature, these lyrics show Ballentine piecing together parts of her life one by one into something that sticks. Within these lyrics, however, is an air of regret to her memories and actions, wishing she had said the things she needed to her loved ones, or merely showing her emotions at the time instead of hiding.
Ballentine also shifts the lens onto the listener within her most recent single, pondering on whether her audience is just as similar to her in this regard, are we just as puzzled and fragmented as her? (“Do you ever look back? Does it all fit together?”)
One of the highlights of this album is the track ‘It’s Like A Secret’, a track that Ballentine uses to attempt to explain a special form of isolation that brings about a form of peace and comfort. Ballentine likens this feeling of neutral comfort to a “space in between”, attempting to define her tendency for burrowing away. Ballentine has used this album to portray her great talent of creating simple music that still evokes great emotion, creating a haunting beauty with her echoed, airy, vocals and minimal amounts of instrumentation; proving that beauty also lies within simpler, bare bones, creations.
Finally, title track ‘Quiet the Room’. The title track of this album is far different to the previous songs mentioned, solely piano led and possibly the saddest sounding song on this record, yet delicate and beautiful all the while. It must be said that it is a true feat to release a song that holds so much emotion with only six lines of lyrics, rather fitting for a song that speaks of words unsaid and deafening silences. ‘Quiet the Room’ allows Ballentine to sit and contemplate what words could have been spoken between her and the subject of this track, its sad emptiness and lack of extravagant instrumentation (meant as the highest of compliments) allowing the audience to do the same.
As an album, ‘Quiet the Room’ is a stunningly melancholic masterpiece to someone who just adores sad folk music filled with longing and self exploration. While it was already clear from her previous EP that she was a talented individual, Ballentine has proven that she is truly a force to be reckoned with, all thanks to her ability to create truly emotional and ethereal music with ease.
Words by Rae Gavey
