Tenci - “Serpent”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 1

Pairs Well With…Japanese Breakfast, Girlpool, Aldous Harding

Singing over a bed of minimal rock and psychedelic pop tones, Chicago newcomer Tenci stands out for her unique and moving vocal melodies, employing a quirky, ridged sound that has an effect of ripping right at the heartstrings. There’s tenderness and complexity in her singing, taking influence from Eastern and Western forms alike to capture a sound both mysterious and subtly piercing on her two debut singles “Earthquake” and “Tender”, a more spacious piece that quivers and shakes like an otherworldly voice gliding over bedroom-rock guitar chords. Both songs are from Tenci’s upcoming full-length My Heart is an Open Field, a record that promises to descend more into her mesmerizing and welcoming escapes. (Kevin McStravick)