This gorgeous new single from Chantal Jüppner will take you right back to the late 60s, the golden age of indie folk, with its sincere and stripped back acoustic only (almost) arrangement, and its sudden and abrupt eruption into a short-lived but effective percussive jingle.
Chantal Jüppner is a Berlin-based independent artist whose arrangements are simple and whose up-front lyricisms are confrontational and relatable. Don’t Quite Belong, her latest offering is one more contemplative gem for her to add to her resume. A song for anyone who ever felt anxious and not belonging where they were, Don’t Quite Belong is warm and close, with Chantal’s dry vocals sitting right there at the center of the skeletal mix, accompanied only by her delicate and embracing acoustic guitar playing, and the occasional percussive keyboard melody. The simplicity of the arrangement gets suddenly toppled in the last third of the song, with her guitar playing becoming more rhythmically driving, with the introduction of horns, a drum part of a very particular nature, clanking, clumsy, and full of personality, along with an army of Chantal Jüppner, singing haunting harmonies that quite quickly escalate to a soul tearing crescendo, before everything’s fades away into a silent coda to the song.
Don’t Quite Belong is art folk at its most beautiful. A song that’s quirky and special and with an unforgettable climax, it’s a piece that shows an artist that’s clearly comfortable with her voice, her songwriting, and with her sound. I loved Don’t Quite Belong and can’t wait for more from Chantal Jüppner.