Lost Pieces (180g)

LPA

1. Shell of Me
2. Where’d You Hide?
3. Just the Same
4. Lost Pieces
5. A Map of Pain

LPB

1. I Run. I Stay.
2. I Can’t Sleep
3. Collapse
4. We Never Were
5. My Home

Lost Pieces, the new album by South Korean singer, songwriter and composer Youn Sun Nah, is a captivating journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. While the album's overall theme may initially appear somewhat sad, it ultimately turns into a message of self-empowerment. The album's 11 songs explore themes of doubt in love, people, and even oneself. They also touch on loss, separation, and the complexities of relationships. This is where Youn Sun Nah was emotionally when she conceived the album. As with her evocative 2022 record, Waking World, she wrote and composed it entirely independently. Lost Pieces reflects her interest in a wide range of musical styles, intuitively combining seemingly disparate indie pop sensibilities with an unrestricted jazz vocabulary and delicate folk song echoes, all the while following her own idiosyncratic path.

The hauntingly beautiful title track of the album, for instance, was originally conceived as a nod to Steve Reich's minimalist approach, featuring the sparsest instrumentation. However, it turned out to be the most densely arranged tune on the record, with brass, marimba and strings finely clearing space for each other to set the stage in unison for some of Youn Sun Nah’s most endearing vocal delivery to date.

Having been appointed Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2019 for her brilliant artistry, her singing style has always been diverse, ranging from subtle to massively expressive belting. Yet on Lost Pieces, she surpasses herself vocally, as the album's overall theme requires a variety of singing approaches. The industrial-like guitar tone of the opening track, Shell of Me, requires some soothing singing at first, before the colours swap their purposes. Where'd You Hide asks for a less playful, unprettified delivery, while Youn Sun Nah rages out the words, Oh, love, where'd you hide? You said you would be right here, standing by my side. But now I’m frozen in the dark. Ultimately, the focus is on catharsis and the intrinsic ability to gain power from pain.

The subliminally swinging WTH is Love! at the end of the album finally overcomes nagging self-doubt, its supporting guitar chords sounding like beacons of hope after an exploration of the contrasts of the human spirit. Overall, Lost Pieces is Youn Sun Nah’s most triumphant artistic and personal statement to date. Its ever-changing form marks a transient high point in a career already lined with considerable achievements, gold certifications, accolades, honours, and collaborations.