On her previous album, 2022’s ‘Polish The Machine’ the Brighton-based musician Helen Ganya had begun with the words “I had a fear of the ordinary.” That was apparent in a style that contained echoes of Kate Bush, The Cocteau Twins and Bjork. However, her new album, ‘Share Your Care’, marks a progression into extraordinary realms. Influenced by the death of her grandmother, she was inspired to explore her musical roots, being half-Thai but growing up in Singapore. She did, though, spend summers in northern Thailand from where the maternal side of her family hailed. Wary of the orientalising gaze of the west, she had previously been reluctant to explore her heritage through music. This time, she began composing songs at home using MIDI as a way of conveying the timbre of Thai instruments.

Along with co-producer Rob Flynn, she went to Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon and met with Artit Phonron, who could play ranat ek, saw duang and khim. The ranat ek is a xylophone-like instrument consisting of 22 wooden bars suspended over a boat-shaped trough resonator and struck by a mallet. A two-stringed instrument, the saw duang’s sound is produced by a bow made from horsetail hair which goes between the strings made from silk. The khim is a stringed musical instrument played with two flexible bamboo sticks tipped with soft leather to produce a gentle tone. Later, she sought contributions from Chinnathip Poollap, a musician in Thailand who could play the Thai oboe or “pi”, and Anglo-Thai artist John ‘Rittipo’ Moore who played saxophones and flutes. The result of these additions to her sound palette is a record that combines her art-pop leanings with Thai instrumentation to remarkable effect. There is both a vitality and accessibility to the sound.

‘Share Your Care’ contains 13 tracks, although three of those are interludes that last for only 41 seconds in total. It begins with the instrumental ‘Weera’ in which the Thai instruments dominate to dramatic effect. The title track, which follows, starts with a flourish through heavy bass sounds before incorporating eastern instruments to create a melodic stew that is cinematic and celebratory. The song is based on memories of accompanying the elder women in her family to her grandfather’s grave, taking offerings to the ancestors and honouring them. It fits in with a theme in Ganya’s work, the importance of community and how the modern, western world tends to be individualistic and lonely. There is also a darkness to the song in its references to wars and pulling the trigger.

‘Mekong’ is more contemplative in its sound with its gentle swells, its lyrics full of questions to her predecessors. With the khim creating a glitteringly unfurling sound, there is a magic to ‘Fortune’ in which Ganya pays tribute to her mum and recognises the sacrifices of diasporic mothers. Starting as a quiet ballad with her voices layered and a firm sense of place, ‘Horizon’ evolved from a dream about her late grandmother and builds to a graceful peak. An instrumental, ‘Morlam Plearn (Luk Khreung Surprise)’ is the record’s most discordant piece, blending clashing instrumentation and prominent percussion. Its sound enacts the dramatic thrill of a challenge and ensuing confrontation.

The only Thai-sung song on the record, ‘Barn Nork’ is a phrase used to describe outsiders, something Ganya’s family have used in reference to her and is a tongue-in-cheek celebration of being a “noob.” The track itself is full of charm and is cinematic with its horn flourishes and distinctive rhythm. ‘Hell Money’ appears to be a Buddhist take on the “you can’t take it with you” approach to earthly goods. To fluttering synths, she sings “hell money / what’s so funny / about the afterlife”. The song incorporates Thai instruments and growing crescendos to impressive effect. Tackling that theme from a different angle, ‘Chaiyo!’ takes a word that her grandfather used to shout, which translates as “cheers” or “hooray” to consider reincarnation and ancestors that she never met while bonding over superstitions. The bubbling saxophones as the song surges to a frenzy are a delight.

‘Share Your Care’ concludes with ‘Myna’ on which Ganya duets with British-Nigerian musician Tony Njoku who takes on the role of her grandfather. It starts as a piano ballad with powerful yet inquisitive lines like “how did you live the way you did?”, a reminder of lost opportunities for conversations. The track builds up its emotionality before, aptly, fading out. It completes a remarkable record, borne of grief yet celebratory in nature, which magically blends off-kilter pop with Thai instrumentation.

Helen Ganya: Share Your Care – Out 7 February 2025 (Bella Union)

Ganya – Share Your Care (Official Video)

I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.