Bergendahl is one of a few new names that have come across my path in 2025. Sitting somewhere between pop and folk on the spectrum of Country Music, her latest EP ‘Cottagecore Country’ presses firmly into the ballad.
Opening song ‘Black Fog’ is much more stylised in the mould of acoustic guitar, ideal for a narrative of self-exploration. Its emotional subject matter could have proved heavy in another guise. But through lyrical simplicity, and a vocal reverb that adds a contemporary shine, there is a lightness of touch. The effect opens up her personal headspace, allowing the listener in to properly empathise.
Second track ‘Paintbox Flowers’ then goes through a process from pedal steel dreaminess to power ballad anguish. The title’s wonderfully floral overtones spill into a set of lyrics infused with bright pastel colours that become whitewashed in a haze of questions. It really does tug on the heartstrings. ‘Amsterdam’, which follows, providing quiet relief in a stripped back production that carries like a breeze.
The third track is a beautiful tribute to that infamous city. Contrasting sun-baked resorts and Alpine excursions with a down-to-earth homeliness. Wider themes of identity and wellbeing feed into a portrait of loveliness in which “the problems I’m nursing… hurt less / in a place that’s so pretty”. Never has being “out of my mind in this city” held such positive connotations.
Final track ‘Woodpigeon’ continues the balladeering nature of this EP. The ending of a relationship that represents new-found freedom soaring on an uplifting melody of joyous percussion and delighted strings. As with her musicality, Bergendahl incorporates the confidence of Twinnie with the vulnerability of Lisa Redford to create a record that is totally at ease with itself. A testament to her own strength of personality and honesty in her artistry.
Featured Image (C) Bergendahl
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