On the opener of Large Brush Collection’s debut album, Nora Predey concedes to the game of life. “I don’t think I’ll ever play.” The indie-folk quartet’s bandleader and bassist extraordinaire bleeds her internal conflicts earnestly, but the resulting Off Center proves much more hopeful. Predey coos and quivers with smooth syncopation and syllable multiplication (“wou-na-ded“) – all an avenue for her fine-tuned lyricism. “In the sorrow cycle’s solipsistic grasp/ point of pride, you’re always right,” she ponders on “Tell Me Again.” A web of twee-pop spins throughout the record, invoking syrupy vocal progressions (“Better Be”) and rhythmic jazz backbones (“Stand Tall”). Gabriela Torres’ flute slithers in heady warmth, the flourishing endorphins to Predey’s beating-heart bass. “Arm’s Length” thrusts in guitar angst, while rich grooves on “Up in the Air” emphasize the band’s natural chemistry. Slow-build coda “Forgiveness Is a Gift We Give to Ourselves” flows like a mantra, with lyrical imagery matched by Rishi Bajekal’s drum kit flickers. The complex considerations within Predey’s songwriting extend to Large Brush Collection’s stratified sonics – a perfect pairing that filters them out from pedestrian folk fodder.

Large Brush Collection

Off Center


This article appears in February 2 • 2024.

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