The Hermit

The article profiles Jordan Patterson and her debut album The Hermit, emphasizing how her background—growing up in North Carolina, early exposure to Roberta Flack, formal arts schooling in Los Angeles, and later discoveries like Nick Drake and Radiohead—logically shapes her warm, folk-rooted sound. Yet the writer argues that none of this explains Patterson’s singular voice, a trembling, breath-defying vibrato that functions almost as its own rhythmic engine. This “post-cursive” vocal style avoids the self-consciousness of typical indie affectations and instead becomes a pulse that keeps her gentle, straightforward songwriting vivid and unpredictable.

Instrumentally, Patterson works within a simple folk framework: clean guitar harmonies, primary-color chords, and unadorned lyrics. But her voice, along with thoughtfully odd production choices—like the kettle-whistle violin on “Stranger” or laser-shot accents on “Jim”—creates a striking contrast between the familiar and the experimental. Not all these risks land; some tracks, like “God,” slip into clutter. Still, the article sees this imbalance as part of her charm: an artist following intuition more than craft.

Ultimately, The Hermit is portrayed as the raw, imaginative work of someone still discovering what she can do. Patterson’s songs feel spontaneous, even improvised at times, filled with self-questioning and emotional candor. The review concludes that her lack of complete refinement is not a weakness but the source of the album’s vitality—proof of a creative mind racing ahead of its own technique, eager to keep the music open-ended.