Toronto singer-songwriter Abigail Lapell is clearly partial to thematically linked song collections. Following on from the self-explanatory ‘Lullabies’ and ‘Anniversary’ comes ‘Shadow Child’, a bundle of songs about motherhood. Recorded during her pregnancy, it comes with the urgency of an unnegotiable timetable and is rich in metaphor with the title referencing ultrasound imaging of a person who does not yet exist. With Lapell’s road to motherhood being particularly fraught, including numerous cycles of IVF and a miscarriage on stage in 2023, before her son was born in November 2024, it is a deeply personal project.
‘Shadow Child’ differs from its predecessor, ‘Anniversary’, in having a more acoustic sound. It consists of nine songs, one for each month of gestation. It makes a remarkable start with ‘Whistle Song (One in a Million)’, a tune full of stillness and wonder. As the title suggests, the song includes whistling which gives it a stark, almost shrill quality which combines with the acoustic guitar and layered vocals to make it highly emotional, especially in its reference to “I sing a song for the one I carry / Little prayer for the one I buried.” Knowing her biography, it would be very hard not to be moved. The delight in human possibility is apparent in the lines, “every night I lie awake / feel the beat of the city shake / hear the music the people make / brave and brilliant.”
‘Hazel’ is the first of four tracks to feature a guest vocalist, in this instance Jill Barber. It is part lullaby, part elegy for a future child or one who may not be born. The voices harmonise beautifully; the song is soothing and has the quiet yearning of possibilities. On the title track, she is joined by Frazey Ford of the Be Good Tanyas. Their vocal harmonies have an eery quality alongside Michael Phillip Wojewoda’s theremin while the forcefully strummed guitars give it the rhythm of an old work song, appropriate as the theme is the toil involved in childbirth, both its joy and terror.
Dana Sipos shares the vocal duties on ‘Mockingbird’, a countryish ode to indecision that drips with weariness, the addition of harmonica furthering the air of resignation, although the fingerpicked guitar sparkles. On ‘Talking To Myself’, she accompanies herself on piano and recorder, alongside Peggy Lee (not that one!) on cello. It is a reflection on solitude and grief, Lapell’s voice sounding reminiscent of Natalie Merchant which is always a good thing. The record’s strong centre continues with ‘Little Cannibal’, explicitly primal in its picture of motherhood, guitar, cello, congas and piano combining with dramatic vocals (“I will wrap you in the skin of an animal / feed you from my own breast / grow strong and wild, little cannibal.”) ‘How Long’ also has a great level of drama, a maritime tale that quicky develops into tragedy and reproductive choice; the dynamics are impressive in the shifts between the tranquil passages and the moments where Lapell’s voice combines with Pharis Romero’s alongside harsh guitar strumming makes to create a stirringly, emotive impact.
The album is wrapped up with two songs that are more sedentary. Set against acoustic guitar, Lapell paints a picture that mixes domestic imagery with the nomadic lifestyle of a touring musician. The way in which the vocal harmonies double give the song a distinct beauty before ending with a baby’s gurgles. The record finishes with its one cover version, ‘Sing A Rainbow’, a song associated with the Dells and the original Peggy Lee rather than the Vancouver cellist who plays on this new version. It was chosen because of the term ‘rainbow baby’, one that follows a loss, which mirrored Lapell’s situation. With its overlapping harmonies, it makes for a serene conclusion.
With only two of its nine songs reaching the four-minute mark, ‘Shadow Child’ has the quality of a novella or a slim volume of poems. In that time, it covers rich and varied terrain related to its theme. Lapell’s voice ranges from calm to troubled, her guests complementing those qualities while the song arrangements always serve to emphasise their emotions.
Abigail Lapell: Shadow Child – Out 8 May 2026 (Outside Music)
Lapell – Shadow Child (feat. Frazey Ford) (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.
