Her original debut album from 2018, titled We Get It Now, offered as the opening act for Kirsten Ludwig. This past November, she released her second album, Sunbeam. Her music can be described as an indie rock time machine to the ’80s.
Nine curated tracks on this second album are a glimpse and exploration from when Ludwig originally started in 2020. After a halting stop to the creation, she found herself determined to come back to the project and let each song be its own “sunbeam,” golden rays of lyrics and musicality that shine on their own.
“Less” was a single released prior to the album. A fresh beat from the drums go hand in hand with the vocals and synthesizer, yet lends a soft texture to the ears. Ludwig sings “All these days inside / They become one sound / There’s no ceiling to the / Echo of your love,” as it sounds like this song is letting the love of others be more fulfilling than keeping oneself away.
There is a warmth to “On the Outside,” another single released in anticipation of Sunbeam. Elements of deep basslines mingle with the guitar and the tone of Ludwig’s voice. It is pretty clear where this song is coming from, especially from the intro lines of “Listening back / I had so much to say / To cover up the hurt / To find some sort of power in my words” indicating looking back on a previous issue, and therefore being “on the outside.” Ludwig took this track to be the sense of longing for this issue or situation with the other person.
“Sunbeam,” the title track, opens with the lines “Sunbeam / On my face / A golden dream / To match its pace,” with Kirsten Ludwig’s voice layered for a fuller and complex sound. And for that, this is a stand out song alone for the use of the heavy electric guitar used toward the bridge. The essence of this track is to be seen, but also veers on the edge of fearing what being seen can do.
“Whatever You Need” is a very upbeat track that feels like a classic ’80s song, the familiarity is comforting. There are pounding drums and a synthesizer that brings the ’80s edge, but Ludwig’s voice is the consistent factor that lets her have her own sound in sync with a catchy beat. From her own emotions and feelings, there is a chance this song is about the distance of a relationship and giving into whatever the other needs, while being tired of their actions.
The final track from Sunbeam is “Equal Distance.” Starting out very ominous and eerie, it changes immediately to a sound-wave central to experimental sounds from Ludwig’s vocals to the instrumentals. This track also has familiar ’80s elements with the play on the guitar sound, but the indie feel comes directly from Ludwig. “Equal Distance” may possibly be about a distance from someone or something that is needed for moving on in life.
Kirsten Ludwig is the clear definition and representation of modern indie sound in her new album Sunbeam. There is a clear emphasis on how important this sound and musicality is to her in order to stay as true to the indie genre as possible, but also how she makes it her own with the elements of ’80s nostalgia.
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