Valentine

Phoenix-based singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews’ ninth album continues on the path that 2022’s <i>Loose Future</i> charted for her. The arrangements around her soulful, deeply felt folk-rock tunes sound even thicker and more intricate, with flutes and synthesisers swirling in the straight-to-tape mix that was co-produced by her and Jerry Bernhardt. (The only other musician who throws in here: Grizzly Bear drummer Chris Bear, credited as adding the “magic” to “Magic Touch”.) Andrews has said that the record came out of one of the darkest periods of her life, but <i>Valentine</i> bears her characteristic warmth even in its most starkly intimate moments.