Full disclosure: we’ve been unashamedly fanning out over Thndo since 2018’s Queenscliff Music Festival, where she covered Queen’s Love Of My Life to mark the 27th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death and totally won our hearts.
As the title suggests, this album’s about the ongoing search for love – including the icky bits.
The sassy, strutting Along The Way finds our protagonist struggling to rebuild trust after betrayal and indulging in revenge fantasies: “I could be petty, baby/ Go find myself a Tom/ Maybe a Jess or Kelly.” Other songs, including Ocean Floor Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, navigate bravely surrendering to intimacy without resistance.
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As track one wraps, girlfriend’s vocal runs are so flawless they actually make us teary: “I wasted so much time not knowing you…” – what a wonderfully wistful sentiment! Reminds us of Björk’s stunning I Miss You (“…but I haven’t met you yet”).
Forward proves that minimal backing and occasional finger snaps are all the musical adornment Thndo’s sublime vocals need – if that. You can tell she feels deeply and pours her big heart into every single syllable sung (see: Fall, featuring inspired vocal phrasing).
The piano-driven, gospel-inflected closer, Purpose – co-written by Thndo’s close friend and collaborator, Audrey Powne – posits the struggle is worth it if true love is the prize: “I found my whole life in you.”
As brilliant as she sounds on record, Thndo’s effortlessly elastic vocal range needs to be experienced live to be fully appreciated. Grace and dignity incarnate, Thndo evokes the Queen Of Soul: Aretha Franklin.
LABEL: INDEPENDENT
RELEASE: OUT NOW
