Flora Cash may, at first glance, evoke the image of an indie diva, but in reality, it is the creative union of two people whose story resembles a cinematic romance rather than a typical biography. Shpresa Lleshaj and Cole Randall, now living in Stockholm, created a project that was born between Minnesota and Europe, turning a long-distance relationship into something much more significant. A year after their virtual acquaintance, they got married, and since then, they’ve stepped into a future where music is their shared language, it sounds like an honest conversation, which sets this couple apart from the modern pop scene.
Photo by @floracash
And now fans have a reason to rejoice: Shpresa and Cole have released their new album “behind every beautiful thing”. The fourth studio work of the creative duo. As before, they took on the entire process themselves. Violins and viola, performed by Djordje Miljanovic, along with cello chords by Yoed Nir and Dakota Holden’s pedal steel in Morning Comes, Baby I Love You, and The Night Is Young, add a special fragility and elegance to the songs.
In “behind every beautiful thing,” honest confessions, irony, and subtle doubts are mixed, surfacing between the lines. The song themes explore the facets of human nature and such fundamental experiences as joy, pain, love, and loss. This emotional spectrum is expressed not only through the lyrics but also through the musical elements – melodies, arrangements, and vocal nuances.
The album opens with the tracks “Should’ve Dressed for the Event” and “just wanna feel you,” and if you play these tracks one after the other, they turn into a conversation between partners seeking comfort in each other. Lleshaj and Randall take turns singing, sharing their thoughts and feelings with one another. The influences range from dark orchestral sounds to melancholic lo-fi beats and synthesizer melodies. There’s a harmony here between deep introspection and a cinematic atmosphere, intertwined with light, nostalgic notes.
The song “My Ex Would’ve Left By Now” delights with its soft and enveloping melody, but beneath this lightness lies a reflection on the complexities of relationships. There is a striking contrast between the external simplicity of the performance and the inner fragility of the emotions. In turn, the track “Baby I Love You” is an earnest declaration of love. Here, melodies, lyrics, and vocal parts are skillfully intertwined, revealing the depth of the performer’s feelings.
The songs on the album maintain a balance between light and dark, between the ease and heaviness of emotions, creating a sonic reflection of moments when a person teeters on the edge, choosing between hope and despair. In the track “The Night Is Young,” warm vocals, quiet keyboards, and drums dissolve into the night sounds of synthesizers. The melodies, like the soft glow of a streetlamp in a dark park, gently guide through the evening streets, filling the space with elegant melancholy. The drums and understated keyboard chords, like the whispers of the night, slowly unfold in the background, creating a perfect counterpoint to the vocals. After “The Night Is Young,” the mood shifts somewhat in the track “i’m tired.” The music takes on a more fractured character, giving a sense of vulnerability. The instrumental sections become sharper, adding drama, and the vocals are filled with strain, intensifying the emotional impact.
Photo by @floracash
The album “behind every beautiful thing” reveals the fragility of human emotions, contrasting sincerity and irony as two complementary elements. The exploration of emotional duality and the fact that there are no clear-cut answers in relationships culminates in the track “The Builder” – the final rhapsody of this EP. The cello takes the lead in this track, filling the sound with authenticity, artistry, and the transformative power of love. Its intricate and powerful sections gracefully intertwine with the instrumental parts, heightening the sense of climax and creating a feeling of mounting emotional intensity. The final track, “The Builder,” is an affirmation that, despite all the difficulties, love always finds a path to transformation.
The new album by Flora Cash is a confession, intimate and very personal. It blends honest revelations and bitter irony, hope, often deceptive, and subtle doubts. It speaks of the clash of opposites, with each track balancing contrasts, almost as if heaven and hell walk hand in hand, and in this dualism lies the beauty hidden behind every moment.
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