Nailah Hunter had already built up a steady and intriguing reputation prior to the release of her full length debut Lovegaze in early 2024 thanks to a variety of singles and EPs focusing on the intriguing blend of her musical training as a harpist, moodily entrancing production and arrangement choices that resulted in a easy, flowing fusion of rich artpop, mystic folk, subtle r&b and more besides, and the striking, controlled passion of her clear singing voice. In its ten concentrated songs, Lovegaze showcases her talents excellently – little wonder that the first song is called “Strange Delights,” because that’s exactly what she brings. With producer Cicely Goulding helping on the boards, Hunter’s vision readily carries across its length, a dreamy exploration of emotion, passion and fantasy, swathed in echo that bespeaks roots back to the Cocteau Twins and A.R. Kane. The slow cascade of songs like “Garden,” “Finding Mirrors” and the title track, the latter featuring some of her most calmly intense, vivid singing, are particular highlights, but the whole is an enveloping experience of beauty beyond the fields we know.