Maybe it’s the season, but when she’s talking about her new album Memories Are Now, the California-raised, Manchester, UK-based musician Jesca Hoop can’t help using flowery language.
“You never know how [a career] is going to bloom for an individual. And for me, I feel like the roots have been under-watered and the bud has been kind of closed for a while,” Hoop says over the phone.
“In order to put the work out into the world, [an artist] needs a lot of support, and if that support is at all restrained, the bud is going to stay closed,” she continues. “Over the last year and a half, I’ve received more support, so I’m able to reach out further and my blossom is opening.”
Evidence of said blossoming is all over Memories Are Now, Hoop’s first solo album for Sub Pop Records. (Last year the seminal Pacific Northwest label released her duets record with Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam.) Across nine tracks, Memories showcases all of the qualities that make Hoop a must-listen, including her knack for melodies that are both comforting and unique, her enthusiasm for the human voice as an instrument, and the uncommonly percussive nature of her timeless and sparkling folk tunes.