Freddie Bourne sings tales of young love, relationships, sexual abuse and mental health, told with searing honesty, the songs are underpinned by lushly woven arrangements recorded in a live performance setting. His new album, Vulnerable Commercialism (Live), maintains a raw edge as its lively atmosphere and complex keyboard arrangements are well organised and never messy.
The songs themselves are all meticulously composed (a direct result of Freddie Bourne’s years playing in high school and university) and somehow manages to maintain a bedroom, pop-rock level of intimacy while exploring more ambitious sonic planes.
The opening track “Summers in Jackson (Live),” sets the tone of the project perfectly with its monologue-style introduction. His conversational approach included in the song is a continuing theme throughout the album and at times can almost make you feel immersed in the whole experience, which works to best effect on some of the album’s other quieter and more intense moments like “Girl (Live).”
While some of Freddie Bourne’s heavier arrangements bring to mind the tense sadness of Vulnerable Commercialism (Live), the album is at its best when it takes sudden plunges into darkness. As skillful as Freddie Bourne is in crafting delicately spun melody – the soothing harmonies of “Rx (Live),” or the gentle lull of “Maybe We Can Get Some Coffee Instead (Live)?” – his full force and potential truly reveals itself when the shadows burst out and take over, floating his dreamy soundscapes to the edges of the heart.
His sound and style are firmly his own. He boasts a unique approach to production and songwriting and switches effortlessly between styles without ever losing coherence. Although Vulnerable Commercialism (Live) is recorded in a live performance setting, it feels much more than that, like the work of an artist whose craft is already honed – and that’s because it is. You can hear the years of refinement in Freddie Bourne’s songcraft, which makes for an absorbing collection of confessional songs both incredibly personal and widely relatable, on an incredibly self-assured album.
