Every so often, an artist emerges from the woodwork with music so brilliant that you can just tell that they are headed places. Such was the case with the likes of Orange Room-era Ed Sheeran or Hozier from the moment he dropped his Take Me to Church EP—at least in this writer’s humble opinion. Now, it’s that case all over again with the release of Jasmine Karimova’s debut full-length, From the Womb. Billing herself as a “multimedia” artist, Karimova incorporates audial and visual delights into her repertoire to develop a full-circle artistic representation of the stories she has to tell.
And tell them she does, oftentimes much more poignantly than not. Her delicate lilt is instantly recognizable amongst the swath of indie artists bubbling to the top today. Further yet, it’s surprisingly multifaceted as it dances and glides across the darkly folk of her debut. ‘Folk’ is used loosely here as, while some of her songs do provide the strummy acoustic basis for her to so beautifully lay her vocals throughout, she’s often attacking a rock-driven tune or jazzing things up enough to where the idea of shoving her into a singular genre box would be nothing short of a shame.
Lyrically, From the Womb is an introspective and often somber look at the world through Karimova’s eyes. From the moment the opening slide of ‘Daddy’ hits the ears, it’s clear that Karimova has some ghosts in the closet that she is keen on jettisoning forward into her work. While her songs—especially paired with that incredible voice—have such a sway to them that they’re like sonic sugar, listen a bit more intently and you’ll see the story behind them is more poignant than their earworm melodies have any business being. Karimova has stories to tell and the full-bodied soul and artistry to ferry them ahead.
It’s evident that this isn’t the last we will be hearing from her, even as we stand here at the foot of her debut. Keep an eye out for Karimova.