Any neofolk album is a bold move in it of itself if you ask me. Many musicians dare to try and embody nature and bring it into a format that can properly convey the beauty, tenacity, and the violence of nature to varying degrees of success. I’m the kind of guy that wants a deeply entrancing and rich world to really sink my teeth into with neofolk, and it’s not often an act comes along that I instantly go “holy shit, this is pretty fucking good”. When it came to Ols, I found a sound that I didn’t know I’ve been dying for.

The thing that really makes a good neofolk album to me is the instrumentation. It’s the voiceless flow that truly portrays nature better than any voice could even though a narrator doesn’t typically hurt, it’s important to truly allow the instruments to breathe and enrich the world you’re trying to create. Downfall of Nur is the best example of this off the top of my head, and Ols has made an incredibly strong argument with her upcoming sophomore album, “Mszarna”. The six tracks that make up this very tribal-sounding album and hypnotic overtone are no less than some of the crispiest and deluxe pieces of the style that I’ve seen for the longest time, and Ols knows how to make it an absolutely magical trip through the woods for the entire time. The whole of “Mszarna” is a marvelous trip through a mystical realm of northern woods, beholding the glory of the valleys and the rivers and the trees while all being beautifully directed by a multi-layered set of vocals sung by a very talented woman with a gorgeous voice that’s all but perfect for this type of thing. My only wish is that there were fewer vocals are they tend to go on for minute unbroken and I can understand the chanting aesthetic of it all and by no means are they bad (they’re fucking great!), but I wish Ols would’ve let the instruments speak for themselves more during the run of “Mszarna”. The beginning of the album is absolutely stunning and it’s a shame that we don’t see that instrumentation speak for itself more often as it takes center stage. Regardless, “Mszarna” still brings the two together splendidly well and makes for one hell of an enchanting record from start to finish.

A musician with no ambition can often be seen as an exceedingly bore to listen to. Ols truly pours her heart and soul into her mystical craft to a powerful effect the likes of which we truly don’t get often enough, and it’s something that I didn’t know I needed until I heard it. “Mszarna” is a beautifully crafted album from start to finish, and shows that Ols has started a name for herself that will be synonymous with two words: immersively beautiful.

“Mszarna” releases on April 15th!

LISTEN to the previous album from Ols on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ols on Facebook here.