Feist - "Love Who We Are Meant To"

Feist has announced a new album due this spring and shared three new tracks including the quiet, yet powerful "Love Who We Are Meant To."

The three new tracks from Feist all fit her niche. "In Lightning" is the closest she comes to electric-pop as clamoring percussion adds grounded structure to her wispy words and "Hiding Out in the Open" serves up her acoustic side, this time with more subtle rhythms that encase it like a blanket. However the standout track, "Love Who We Are Meant To" is an airy, soft number that feels like an intimate anthem for expressing the truth found within. Light finger-picking guitar reminiscent of her fellow Canadian pop star Joni Mitchell, Feist bares her soul on this one as her weightless voice floats gently over sparse sound. Her almost spoken-word poetry morphs into her delicate vocal style for a stunning, yet gentle ballad. "Sometimes we don't get to love who we are meant to" she sings, delivering the devastating line with sheer conviction that it instantly feels like a hallmark to all those who are stopped from living their true selves. To have it be released on Valentine's Day, no less, makes it even more compelling. This is a classic Feist number, her gripping voice both ethereal and distinct, she carries on like a whisper, often hushed and at times difficult to fully make out, but as powerful as ever. There are some moments when it feels almost as if it's in draft form, but the honesty and vulnerability make its rather unfinished nature add to the magic. Throughout, light strings add a touch of texture, recalling the vibes of another fellow Canadian, the mysterious Lewis. These days, a new album from Feist is a rarity as she takes her (deserved) time between releases and perhaps that is what makes this track so enchanting, but also, perhaps, it's because when she does reappear, she delivers elegant songs such as this one.

Multitudes is out April 14.