Great Doubt is the third album from Danish-born, London-based composer Astrid Sonne. It marks a bold shift for Sonne who brings vocals to the forefront of her electronic and classical music for the first time. Lyrics lend a new layer of vulnerability as Sonne explores life's great unknowns.
Words are used sparingly, sometimes serving more as cues than clear narrative. Early highlight Do you wanna reflects on the complexities of creation in an uncertain world. Elsewhere Sonne showcases her songcraft through more vivid imagery. Almost sketches the aftermath of a breakup in fragments — passing strangers, shifting clouds, the sensation of warm rain. Any emotional weight in these impressions contrasts with the lightness of the music's delivery.
Great Doubt thrives on unexpected fusions, blending viola, brass and woodwinds with synths and beats. Vocal tracks alternate with instrumentals like the brief avant-jazz interlude Overture, which echoes the innovative approach of Arthur Russell. Or Boost, where detuned synths and complex rhythms suddenly shift into lighter, dream-pop terrain. Traces of Tirzah’s influence have also been noted, in the melancholic, minimalist R&B of certain songs. Across the album's 33 minutes, Sonne brings these contrasting elements together into a uniquely personal song cycle - one where tentative hope harmonises with existential doubt.
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