Like most people, I kinda hate Spotify. I hate the way that it’s turned music into noise to soundtrack your bus journey, or your walk around Lidl. I hate that it’s fooled us into getting rid of all of the CDs, tapes, and records that we owned and made us pay to rent back temporary access to music that they own. I hate that they don’t pay artists for their art. I hate that I have a plan that includes audio books but it won’t let me listen to a single one. I hate most that I’m too weak to resist it.

As much as all of those things are true, today Spotify decided to play a song after the one I had chosen to listen to, and that song stopped me in my tracks. I think I kinda love Spotify a little now, because the song was “Avalanche” by Sienna Smith and it’s a totally gorgeous four minutes and forty-three seconds of bliss. It really does not happen enough in life; but I literally stopped what I was doing and found myself completely drawn into what I was hearing.

Immediately my interest was piqued by the raw feel of the recording itself. It felt like a really interesting choice, with audio hiss and birdsong in the background. Like listening in to someone’s most inner thoughts. It’s spellbinding. After a little while though, the song boldly shifts into a completely different sonic space – with a beautiful, natural arrangement built around warm acoustic guitar, piano, and roomy drums. The vocal is superb. Fuck it, the whole thing is. I can’t quite do justice with words to the way that the song almost physically drags you into its world. I’ve listened to it like five times in a row. What a talent. I had absolutely no prior information about Sienna Smith, but I’m looking forward to hearing more stuff in the future.

TL;DR: I’m in love with every aspect of this. Put some headphones on and have a listen.