I Get Into Trouble

Album review

On the cover of her first album, Maple Glider, the Australian whose real name is Tori Zietsch, hangs from a tree branch, dressed all in white. For the second, she’s on a tree trunk in front of ferns, in a bikini and platform boots. Maple Glider clearly makes some interesting clothing choices for her forest outings, yet what’s important here is the forest's constant presence, with the wood that makes guitars, the caress of the wind between the leaves, and solitude amongst the greenery. From the very first moments of I Get Into Trouble, we hear echoes of Alela Diane and Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star, an elegiac and languid folk, slightly psychedelic; a musical refuge that we’ve heard elsewhere, but that’s still a pleasure to hide ourselves in. Then, Maple Glider leaves the forest and the crowd, also giving us pop and romantic melodies, some synth rhythms, and grungy guitars, showing her music isn’t just geared toward heritage or nostalgia. Its modernity is also found in the detachment she sings with, as if coming from far away, disenchanted. In her echo-filled singing, there’s vertigo, and abandon. This music is so very sweet precisely because life is hard – and Tori Zietsch’s lyrics, reflecting a life of trauma and alienation, validate this idea. These are sentimental lullabies to be hummed deep in the woods, warding off fear, when behind every tree lurks a beast ready to pounce. Or they’re a cry for help, only whispered. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz