Like many others, my introduction to Cinder Well came courtesy of the soundtrack and theme tune to this year’s best television series so far, Small Prophets. In common with Mackenzie Crook’s previous gem, Detectorists, which had musical decoration from The Unthanks and Johnny Flynn, the programme continues his signature of using eery, folk-leaning music to amplify the mystery and atmosphere of his celebration of oddballs and misfits. However, there is a considerable difference between hearing music that fades in and out of a TV show as a complement to the action and sitting down to listen to a full album so I approached ‘A Blooming Body’ with intrigue and anticipation.
Multi-instrumentalist Amelia Baker has been releasing records as Cinder Well since 2015. In comparison to her previous three albums on which violin was used to centre most of the melody, ‘A Blooming Body’ considerably expands her palette with players brought in to provide a range of instrumentation such as horns, synths and e-bow. However, by recording the initial take of guitar and vocals live, the raw and natural quality of her voice which in quiet intensity rather than sound reflects a lineage stretching from Karen Dalton through to Adrienne Lenker is retained.
Opening track, ‘While The Womb Screams Silently’, is inspired by Céline Sciamma’s film ‘Portrait of A Lady on Fire’ in which a woman is arranged to be wed but intensely resists the proposal and a painter is hired to secretly paint her wedding portrait. The song sets out the importance of listening to your inner voice, resisting conforming to the demands of patriarchy. A lot of the imagery (thistles, briars, hooks) is visceral, even the idea of bristles crunching across the canvas sound harsh. The arrangement is slow and spare, her voice accompanied by piano and then violin, the later addition of tuba and French horn are akin to small daubing of extra colour. It creates an immersive introduction. This sort of tough imagery is revisited later on ‘Nettles and Roses’, crossing the intersection between pain and prettiness, while also displaying her way with an understated melody.
With guitar and drums more to the fore, ‘Beyond The Pale’ has a reflective post-rock vibe without ever suggesting it will succumb to the noisy passages that often appear to be the raison d’être of the lesser examples of the genre. A burst of violin adds to the impact while the lyrics switch from a gaudy, Ballardian nightmare (“the traffic and the mad dash / the hordes of metal cars / a faceless city swirling / in a tasteless bacchanal”) to the personal and self-critical (“I spent the morning listing / all the different ways that I have wronged you.”)
Throughout the album, there is a focus on the mundanity of existence and this reaches its apex on ‘Ashes’ with its references to dirty dishes, clothes on the line and washing the windows, although this serves as a plot twist enabling her and a neighbour to observe each other. The song has an impressive minimalism, leavened with a burst of discordant viola set against flugelhorn trills, ending with her settling down to enjoy the rewards of quiet domesticity. It exemplifies why Crook chose her to soundtrack ‘Small Prophets’; they both profitably focus on the details that are usually excluded from drama and song.
There is a phenomenal economy to ‘Signals’, its bare guitar and echo of fingers on frets matching short lines to create tension (“last night / screaming / steam off the pavement / lightning / relieving / signals / I’ll be leaving.”) As the song develops, the arrangement extends and incorporates violin as the lines lengthen (“clouds coalescing in a hot storm / as my last foot leaves the platform.”)
Sonically, the record constantly commands interest. ‘The Color of Earth’ has shades of synth and violin discord. It is one of four tracks to utilise drums though they never overshadow the song, instead marking subtle shifts of tempo and mood. ‘August’ is the only sub-three-minute song and is minimal with Baker accompanying herself on guitar, although sharing the vocals with C.P.N. Hollywell gives it a deeper texture as they contemplate predictable repetitions (“we’re all doing the same old / playing in bands making jokes / fixing windows.”) In contrast, the closing ‘Shadows of Leaves on Red Bricks’ is the longest piece, heading toward seven minutes in duration. It shares with ‘Signals’ imagery of bags packed and leaving while having a sense of drama created through sustained guitar notes and a voice that drops to a murmur and rises, using layering to heighten its impact. Grumbling synths and dark violins appear, ushering the song to an emotional conclusion.
In discussing ‘A Blooming Body’, Baker’s voice is understandably the primary focus for superlatives. However, the role of the music, more cinematic than previously, in creating tightly coiled drama should not be overlooked. It creates a record that is deeply immersive and emotive marking Cinder Well in their own right as thoroughly deserving the attention of her new audience.
Cinder Well: A Blooming Body – Out 17 July 2026 (Hen House Studios)
Well – While the Womb Screams Silently (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.
