Readers might remember FER (Jennifer Markin) from last year; she was here a couple of times with singles that have now wound up on her debut EP which came out on 6th June.
FER was notable for her vocal abilities, and catchy melodies, but more than anything else, in my view anyway, for her ability to convey living with consistent anxiety.
Echoing what I said at the time the pandemic, followed by Ukraine, the Middle East, the US Presidential Election, economic uncertainty and just what now passes for life in general have combined to screw a lot of people up and musicians tend not to shy to inform their audiences of their personal angst.
I reckon I know more people with ADHD, Neurodivergence, Autism Spectrum Disorder or what just used to be called depression, than those without any of those things, and I’m not alone.
Hence there is always the possibility of prompting compassion fatigue with any song touching on these matters. But FER magically avoids that.
The six-song EP, ‘What can be’, which explores themes of mental health, connection and healing, contains two new tracks not previously released, ‘Séance’ and ‘Sincerely’, which, she says, represent emotional opposites: ‘Séance’ dives into darkness; an aching cry for help in moments of worthlessness and self-doubt. In contrast, the EP’s closing track, ‘Sincerely’, “moves toward the light.”
Unfortunately we haven’t got time to compare and contrast tonight but I can say with certainty that ‘Séance’ is a little masterpiece.
In the opening part it’s as if she recognises some of the pitfalls I mentioned earlier –
“What if all my friends move on from me/ what if I annoy and bother them…”
I hesitate to repeat any more of the lyrics here, they need to be listened to (and read, you can do that on the Spotify track) and you’ll begin to appreciate the maelstrom of thoughts, over-thinking to the power of 10, that swirl around in the head of someone who is overwhelmed by uncertainty and anxiety.
What if? What if? What if?
You’ll probably recognise it. We’ve all been there at one time or another.
There are fascinating lines about “turning tones into a séance; prayers into a séance” – as if recognising that of the two people in the conversation one of them is dead.
Musically and lyrically she is quickly becoming a master of the ethereal, croaked plea while her producer, Sami Saari, understands fully the power of highly selective orchestration.
Yet for all that the most impressive parts of the song, for me anyway, are the opening and closing, simple but moody piano pieces, which sound like they might have been lifted from a Nordic Noir drama theme tune but which equally fit this haunting song.
I’ll tell you what can be – FER can be a genuine star, that’s what.
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.markin.3
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fermaj9/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-markin-45b83180/ (She’s a vocal coach, too).
