Prewn is becoming a master of ugly beauty. The Izzy Hagerup-led project’s sophomore album “System” picks up where their great 2023 debut LP “Through the Window” left off and only improves upon its formula, putting a jagged edge on this otherwise-gorgeously-arranged batch of freak folk songs. At the core is Izzy’s gentle guitar and otherworldly voice, a voice that stops you in your tracks and truly cuts through the sea of indie rock singer/songwriters. And that core is fleshed out by warped cellos, rickety drum machines, and speaker-blowing grunge riffs.
Its juxtaposition of dirty and delicate leaves me reminded of cult fave albums like Joanna Newsom’s The Milk-Eyed Mender, Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Mitski’s Bury Me At Makeout Creek, and Hop Along’s Get Disowned, and I hope that one day we’ll all be talking about this album the way people talk about those albums now.
The Fat Angel Sings 