Fears: Affinity review – Both comforting and discomfiting

Following on from her spectral 2021 debut album, Oíche, Constance Keane’s Affinity explores further interesting terrain, with pared-back production underpinning her ethereal vocal. Affinity is about having a sympathy for something, a soft landing of a space, and thematically and sonically this is where Keane takes us.

The song 4th of the 1st is an interesting piece about a form of gaslighting, “reassuring yourself after an experience with someone who denies what you know to be true of your time together”, where glistening strings dart and stretch their legs with a gorgeous fluency. Times and its subtle, radiant guitar bring a wobbly loveliness to some nice beats, and NY is an elevating haunting. Cliff, featuring Aga Ujma, conjures up images of wide open roads and possibilities, which is met by the playful RIP and its tinny percussion, bringing to mind the earlier work of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

The track 11249, with Jemima Coulter and Ailbhe Reddy, is delicately mournful; Bright is a compelling exploration in layering vocals, strikingly effective in its simplicity. Fiel is an affecting sweep of a song, resembling a meeting ground for the ghosts of Jesus and Mary Chain and Mazzy Star to flit around the better end of The xx. Write: Left continues the strange beauty, where Keane’s confiding vocal is underscored by an eerie sonic palette. Her track 16, with Sophie Gwen Williams, again places vocals in a melancholy space – “it’s been a while since I cried ... three days now” – as skittering beats and beautiful strings dance in graceful unison.

This is both a comforting and discomfiting piece of work, where themes of connection and dislocation weave their way throughout, and ideas of what constitutes true intimacy and support are explored. Disappointment is also a key theme in some of the tracks, a relatable yet uneasy feeling, made more palatable by Keane’s tender approach, as she seeks to remind us that there is sustenance and unfettered joy in affinity, both the record and the feeling.