Fiona Joy Hawkins went into lockdown and came out with twelve piano pieces that actually mean something.
“Stasis” kicks things off in a thoughtful way that sets the tone for everything else. “The Ghosts of War Are Marching” handles serious topics without getting heavy-handed about it. “Lava and Snow” plays with contrasts – hot and cold, soft and hard – but does it through the music instead of beating you over the head with it. Her classical background really shows up in tracks like “In the Deep”, where she digs into the album’s main idea about looking at stuff we usually ignore. “The Lost Ballerina” and “The Journey” hit you in different ways – one delicate, the other more sprawling. Both work really well.
The album wraps up with “The Brown Bird”, which surprised me by ending on an upbeat note instead of staying dark. Hawkins knows when to play and when to stay quiet, and that balance keeps you paying attention instead of zoning out.
You really should follow Fiona Joy Hawkins on Instagram @fionajoymusic because she shares cool behind-the-scenes stuff about how she creates these piano pieces and you’ll get to see the stories that inspire her compositions.
