Viral indie sensation Kinneret has released her new album Field Guide.
Inspired by a major move from Los Angeles to New York City and a newfound passion for birdwatching, Field Guide is both a sparkling, energetic indie-pop gem and an introspective exploration of city life and Kinneret’s personal philosophies.
The result is a record that’s made up of equal parts a hazy city night and a fresh, dewy early morning in nature.
According to Kinneret herself: “I think that having fun and being expressive and colourful are some of the most important parts of life, and I’m also a very existential person who is constantly trying to make sense of the world”.
Both of these sentiments very much come through on the album, which opens up with the soaring, brightly melodic “Speak To Me” before it phases into the sentimental, darkly-poppy “Purple and Red,” both to great effect.
This dark-pop sensibility features even more heavily on “Price of Pop,” which features distinctly Freezepop-style half-spoken word elements alongside fuzzy, popping keyboard antics.
This opening quarter of the album feels like a natural evolution for Kinneret, who is best known for her viral hit “No Wind Resistance!” – an experience that would be life-changing for anyone, but particularly so for Kinneret.
Having decided to delay her move to college, she’s spent the last few years touring and working on her sound, resulting in her current form on Field Guide–wiser, more self-assured, and far more comfortable in her quirky indie-pop sound.
“With this album, I really let go,” says Kinneret on the process of making Field Guide. “This was my first time properly writing with other people, not just getting beats and writing them myself. I was apprehensive, but it was a game-changing experience. The truth is, the right people help you understand yourself even more.”
Field Guide is definitely the work of an artist who’s at least well on their way to a deep understanding of themselves.
Nowhere is this clearer than on the album’s “birdiest” track, “All the Weather,” as Kinneret sings:
“I connect with every bird, I love every feather/I connect with every bird, I love every feather/I am every girl, I am all the weather.”
Being very open about your biggest enthusiasms and feeling comfortable and open about who you are is a challenge for many, but Kinneret makes it look effortless with her openly loving character.
The whole album is a very clear combination of both sides of Kinneret – the self-confessed existential side presented equally against her noted need to be expressive and colourful. It helps that her vocal tone is so sweet and airy, which offsets the collection of Presets-style minor-keyed pop melodies that Field Guide features.
But even with that, this is not an album that takes itself overly seriously. The production is clean, the lyrics are thought-provoking, but that doesn’t stop each track from being a fun and straightforwardly danceable; it’s everything dance-punk would be if it took a moment to lighten up.
Field Guide’s stand-out track is “Solar Kiss,” which once again features Kinneret half-singing the chorus over a gloriously mid-2000s club banger melody. It’s fun and almost annoyingly catchy, and I’d be surprised if it isn’t Kinneret’s next viral hit.
The album takes a slower turn towards the second half, starting with “Never Get Bored,” which features both recorded sounds of birds chirping, as well as Kinneret’s venture into her lower vocal register.
Kinneret is not one for vocal acrobatics, so even this slight change in her vocal style is striking and welcome.
The following track, “Starry Night,” is similar in this regard — despite its up-tempo drum machine beat, it still manages to feel like a slower song purely through its vibe. This theme continues in “Human Race,” which might be the album’s weakest point. It’s by no means a bad song, but the hook is confined almost entirely to the chorus, with the verses feeling a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of Field Guide.
The album closes with the two tracks “Living in the Sky” and “There You Go Again,” with “Living in the Sky” being the other ‘birdiest’ track on the album.
“There You Go Again” closes the album with a bit more energy after the synth sweetness of “Living in the Sky,” but it feels like a song modelled on the kind of sad, almost lonely thoughts you’d have if you'd been up all night and are in the kind of mood to contemplate both your own life and everyone else’s.
Field Guide is everything Kinneret has spent the last few years building a name for herself with, now given the polish her work has always deserved. It’s still unapologetic indie-pop gorgeousness, but with the time and care poured into Field Guide, it’s undeniable that this is what Kinneret’s sound always could — and should — have been.
