Album Review: Bat For Lashes - 'The Dream of Delphi'
A touching reflection on motherhood, Bat For Lashes sixth album The Dream of Delphi dazzles as her most focused and enchanting record yet.
Nobody could ever accuse Natasha Khan of not fully immersing herself into the world she has created for each album cycle. For Two Suns she dressed up as the albums prime alter-ego and antagonist Pearl, a blonde femme fatale that she decided to adopt that represented the destructive side of New York on this project. Fast-forward to The Bride, Khan embarked on a small tour of churches to fit the wedding theme – fans were even asked to wear formal attire. In this respect nothing has changed when it comes to shifting the narrative yet again for the latest record. This time around, Khan becomes Motherwitch, an over- arching matriarchal force that wants to envelop people into reconnecting with empathy, compassion and love.
Motherhood hasn’t just inspired The Dream of Delphi, it is the sole reason and driving force. The birth of Khan’s daughter Delphi in 2020 has created her latest body of work, an introspective look into her experience as a mother. The one danger of records that focus entirely on motherhood is that the result can come across as conceited and cloying, as after all what mother doesn’t think that their son or daughter is their greatest creation? However, the title track reversed this expectation, a thrilling mixture of sonic subversion and angelic harp strings that herald the arrival of baby Delphi. It even samples her cries of “Mummy” at the end of the song making for a compelling opener.
Some of the best songs on offer require no words to convey emotion, instrumental interludes tend to do the heavy lifting with heartfelt tributes to notable milestones. Composed in the early weeks of Delphi’s birth, ‘The Midwives Have Left’ is one of these magical moments that mimics a transcendental transition of Khan’s life, peppered with twinkly piano and wind chimes. Another track thin on the lyrical front is ‘At Your Feet’, Khan coos “What will become of you and me” amidst a bittersweet piano melody. What little is said still echoes her reflection on her maternal experience and concerns for her daughter’s future.
Similarly, her latest single ‘Home’ is a touching rumination on feeling lost without direction, seeking foresight into what could happen in the future. Lines like “All I know is this life is cruel/Imagine, Imagination is greater” crush these fears of the future for her daughter, professing an unwavering devotion to always come home to her. Free of common cliches or melodramatic platitudes that could be associated with the subject matter, it feels simple in the most human fashion.
This cathartic collection of songs serenades the spiritual awakening following the birth of Delphi, often in wordless wonder. Khan has created an electronic husk of a soundscape full of hopeful undertones and operatic coos, a winsome backing track framed by her most intimate moments in the last four years as a mother. Standing as her most focused and cohesive record yet, The Dream of Delphi succeeds as an atmospheric and moving testament to Khan’s newfound relationship between spirituality and motherhood.
Words by Oliver Evans
