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Carisa’s latest album, repotting, will soothe and encourage anyone who has experienced doubts about their own worth. The album depicts a person–or a seed’s–journey toward self esteem. It is anchored by repeated mantras, piano, and guitar–with a little bit of lo-fi sound mixed in. Repotting is a short album, conveying heavy emotions that are washed away over the course of a little under a half hour, nourished with encouragement by self-reflection, friends and dogs, giving way to empowerment. 

rainfall

A reverse torch song to someone who left a “black and blue upon the canvas of [her] skin.” Jazz piano gives way to guzheng, building to a two-minute mantra that gradually becomes a group invocation, which comes across as an intense echo chamber of support, smothering and overpowering an individual’s pain and demanding that she wash it away.

guarded

Synth piano, acoustic guitar, and mirrored vocals support a strident anthem–which sounds like it could have been recorded at a lively poetry slam. One is reminded of Aretha Franklin calling out for R-E-S-P-E-C-T, as the lyrics extol the virtues of not compromising one’s individuality or giving more of oneself than others deserve. 

hunting your octobers

After Guarded–a warning about not just letting anyone in–this track is a welcome bit of whimsy and unconditional love, bookended by a dog’s brief vocal solos. Hunting Your Octobers is a return to the bossa nova from Carisa’s debut album, Microcosm. Compared with the heartbreak and the degradation implied in Guarded and Rainfall, this track portrays an uncomplicated friendship in which the worst thing someone can do to another is to leave snacks on the bed. 

i love you, little sunflower

Perhaps the most melancholy track on the album, it is also the most relatable. Synth organ reminiscent of a classic baseball game and vocals drives home how ridiculous and unnecessary self-degradation can be. Although male vocals make an appearance, one can easily imagine the song as an exchange between an older, more experienced, self-actualized woman, and the lo-fi, silly girl who still has some learning to do.  
 
repotting

The title track is also the culmination of the album’s journey. Acoustic guitar and bass, lo-fi piano, harmonica, and vocals come together for a celebration of growth. The track is a big “aha” moment for anyone who hasn’t yet caught onto the album’s central theme, driving home the message of how a change in surroundings can help a person with the task of “returning to me” and “grounding in authenticity.” I was left wanting this track to go on much longer. – JS