Bridget Rian - “Pontiac Vibe”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Brandi Carlile, Holly Macve, Imogen Heap

Based around beautiful, piano-pop balladry, Bridget Rian slightly twists her alt country setting with psych-rock instrumentation, ghostly vocal effects, and breezy pop to make a sound ambitiously resonant. These influences don’t play out with a heavy hand however, rather Rian uses these extra expressions sparingly, keeping ears glued to her somber, personal songwriting. A new artist out of Nashville, Rian’s debut EP Talking To Ghosts does maintain a strong Americana backbone like in acoustic-grounded ballads “Funeral” and “Trailer Park Cemetery”, but Rian’s use of ambience and filled space broader her sound to something her own. Her latest single “Pontiac Vibe” is also her biggest, starting small but building to a full rock coda that proves to be the climax of the whole EP. (Kevin McStravick)