Album by Jessica Pratt

Here in the Pitch feels like it exists outside of time.

The album draws heavily from 60s pop, bossa nova, jazz, and orchestral pop traditions, but it never feels like an exercise in nostalgia. At various points I heard echoes of Burt Bacharach, Dusty Springfield, and the kind of songwriting that lived in the Brill Building. Jessica Pratt’s voice and arrangements make the music feel strangely timeless, as though these songs have always existed somewhere and we’re only just now discovering them.

The songs certainly work on their own, but this is one of those records that seems designed to be experienced from beginning to end. The mood, the pacing, the arrangements, and Pratt’s voice all contribute to a singular atmosphere that is difficult to break apart.

There’s a weariness running through the album, and for a while I found myself wondering if the title referred to pitch darkness. But the more I listened, the more I started thinking about a different meaning. A pitch is also a field, a place where the game is played. The songs often feel bruised, uncertain, and aware of the world’s cruelty, yet they never surrender to it. Instead, they seem rooted in a quiet resilience. The voice at the center of these songs isn’t giving up. It’s still here. Still playing. Still moving forward.

“Life Is” immediately pulled me in with its classic pop songwriting. It feels like the kind of bittersweet kiss-off song that could have emerged from the Brill Building in another era.

“Better Hate” is simply gorgeous. The layered vocals float through the arrangement and create one of the album’s most captivating moments.

“World on a String” leans even further into that classic pop sensibility, sounding at times like a lost vocal ballad from the 1960s.

“Get Your Head Out” is one of the album’s most haunting tracks. The bossa nova rhythm provides a gentle foundation while the organ seems to lurk in the background, creating an uneasy tension beneath the beauty. Pratt’s voice feels almost ghostly here, drifting through the song rather than sitting at its center.

“By Hook or by Crook” showcases another side of the album, with a vocal performance that occasionally feels informed by jazz traditions while still remaining unmistakably her own.

“Nowhere It Was” continues the album’s dreamlike atmosphere, sounding eerie and elusive in a way that makes it difficult to fully grasp, yet impossible to ignore.

“Empires Never Know” was one of the biggest standouts for me. It’s a moody, piano-led song that feels concerned with power, corruption, and the blindness of people who don’t recognize their own decline. There were moments where it even reminded me a little of Radiohead. It’s haunting, thoughtful, and deeply affecting.

But the song that stayed with me most was “The Last Year.”

It’s a remarkably emotional piece that somehow manages to feel sad and hopeful at the same time. The song hit me hard enough that it brought me to tears, and the more I listened, the more powerful it became. It’s the kind of song that makes you stop whatever you’re doing and simply listen.

The entire album works this way. It never feels loud or demanding. Instead, it slowly reveals itself through beautiful melodies, intricate arrangements, and a voice that seems capable of carrying both heartbreak and hope in the same breath.

Here in the Pitch feels timeless, intimate, and quietly resilient.

It’s the kind of album that reminds me how powerful subtlety can be.

Verdict: Great

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