Kyle Morton’s latest record, What Will Destroy You is a folky and illustrative medley of sadness. If the title doesn’t give it away, the tracks are laden with dark undertones, offering a sobering image of reality. Morton’s vocal timbre is reminiscent of Iron & Wine and Asegeir, and resembles a similar vocal production to the aforementioned by layering melodies upon melodies of the same voice. This production technique allows Morton’s expressions, confusion, and lyrical renderings to wash over you, wrapping you in his cocoon of lament. Lyrically, Morton meditates on sorrow, death, depression and loneliness, but the instrumentals – while scarce and singular at times – provide a sense of optimism, directing some of the darker thoughts towards the light. And for that, What Will Destroy You is also sprinkled with glimmers of hope.
The track, “Gestalt of Original Pain” is especially enticing as the instrumentals are eerily bare – a guitar and the stagnant air between Morton’s mouth and the microphone he recorded the piece on are the only sounds that remain constants throughout the piece. Without the vocal layering present throughout the record, you’re left alone with his voice; it feels like you are reading the pages his hidden diary, but the embarrassment and discomfort in hearing such vulnerable and unguarded heaviness make “Gestalt of Original Pain” all the more powerful. Morton makes us feel what we wish to forget and becomes a helping hand in the dark.
