The Ophelias – Spring Grove

Named for Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery, The Ophelias' fourth full-length album is a stunning ode to mid-size cities, intimacy and the self. It feels almost unbearably emotional to listen to an album so intricately entwined with a city that I haven't called home for over a decade. My grandparents are buried in Spring Grove; I have a deep connection to the river and to the cicadas that basically eclipse the sun every 17 years. I also worry about running into my exes on Ludlow or Vine. But one needn't be from Cincinnati to connect with this album. Cincinnati is the vehicle through which The Ophelias explore self-narration and the process by which our experiences become our histories. As an album, Spring Grove has deep roots.

Produced by Julien Baker, the album ranges from melancholy nostalgia to the more rageful sounds of Salome, released as a single last month. With Mic Adams on drums, Jo Shaffer on bass, Andrea Gutmann Fuentes on violin and Spencer Peppet on guitar and lead vocals, the fullness of the sound so completely echoes the emotional content of the lyrics. Peppet's voice is warm and empathic, full of grief and love and hope. The quartet produces a rich, orchestral sound, imbuing our collective memories of Cincinnati with a folkloric quality. At its emotional climaxes, the album reaches cinematic scope. Spring Grove, an album executed with honesty and compassion, has tremendous heart.

Listen to: Spring Grove, Cicada, Forcefed