On debut LP The Fool, pop anomaly Ryn Weaver, 22, strikes a difficult, delicate balance between personal and universal. Her rebellious lyrics draw from both her real-life struggles as a woman and an artist and celestial themes that transcend them. Explosive tracks like “Promises” and “Octahate,” a SoundCloud-released single that took her from obscurity to blog darling overnight, command the most attention, but The Fool isn’t all electro-pop flashbangs.
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On dulcet love song “Here Is Home,” Weaver’s expansive voice relaxes, dialing back the sometimes-harsh, overcaffeinated Florence Welch vibrato that can distract from her songwriting. “I’m the daughter of the sun,” she declares on closer “New Constellations,” one of many lyrics that could tip from grandiose to cheesy in the wrong hands. She’s confident for a new artist, but this promising debut backs up her big words.
This story originally appeared in the June 27 issue of Billboard.