7/10

There’s a rare kind of magic in music that feels rooted in both place and spirit, and North Wales’ Eve Goodman and SERA achieve it effortlessly on 'Natur', their long-awaited collaborative album. This record unfolds as a celebration of cycles, blending alternative folk with singer-songwriter intimacy into something simultaneously personal and expansive.

From the outset, 'Natur' immerses us in a world that is unmistakably Welsh. Tracks meander between playful storytelling and meditative reflection: a mermaid sea shanty evokes the salty, windswept Menai Strait, while an acapella spell-song conjures ancient rituals through voice alone. There’s a poetry in life’s small urgencies as well, offering levity amidst the solemnity. In contrast, expansive compositions like 'Bendith' sweep through Celtic landscapes with reverent grandeur, celebrating the wild and elemental.

Goodman and SERA’s creative chemistry is palpable. Selected as BBC Horizons Artists in 2019, the pair discovered an immediate synergy in their fascination with the natural world. This shared curiosity manifests throughout 'Natur', where the songs are imbued with names of birds, flowers, and the more-than-human. Recorded at Wild End Studio with co-producer Colin Bass, the album captures the duo’s acoustic intimacy while allowing instrumentation and arrangement to breathe, creating soundscapes that feel alive and organic.

'Natur' is at once whimsical, meditative, and joyous, delivering a record that invites you to slow down and inhabit a landscape where folklore, self-reflection, and music intertwine. For those seeking a folk experience that honours heritage without feeling confined by it, Eve Goodman and SERA have created an album that feels like a true celebration of self.