Album Review: The Summer Sessions

Auckland-based singer-songwriter Indie Soull continues his inspired creative trajectory with the final installment in his four-part Seasons series. The Summer Sessions is like a hand-written letter or a sun-bleached photograph – a lo-fi, intimate collection of nine acoustic vignettes that feel more like sun-dappled reflections than polished pop fare. And that’s precisely its charm.

Indie Soull, who has performed in London, New York, and across Australasia, has built a reputation for nostalgic, emotionally resonant songwriting, previously captured in a series of live acoustic albums and, more recently, in homegrown recordings crafted during lockdown. Critics have likened him to artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Elliott Smith, and Joni Mitchell – a curious spread that reflects the broad accessibility of his work. With The Summer Sessions, he leans fully into simplicity, stripping away gloss in favour of mood and atmosphere.

The opening track, Bathed In Blue, sets the tone – the first delicate duet over warm, unfiltered guitar. It sounds as though it could have been recorded in a single take during a breath bating lounge session. Minor imperfections only add to the album’s unguarded sincerity. The lyrics, “Orange is the sky up above when I think of you my love,” are sweet and straightforward – emblematic of the album’s writing, which consistently reaches for gentle, nature-rooted imagery and wistful nostalgia.

Picture In A Frame and Smoky Places continue the winning formula – snapshots of quiet intimacy, set to sparse acoustic arrangements. Smoky Places introduces upright bass, hinting at a subtle jazz influence while staying grounded in simplicity.

There’s a thematic arc running through Summer’s Gone, Ode to Summer, and When Summer Comes – seemingly tracing the end, middle, and beginning of the season in reverse. Each track is steeped in the beautiful melancholy of time paused or passing. Lines like “An autumn leaf is turnin’ / A broken heart is hurtin’” may tread close to sentimentality, but there’s an undeniable sweetness in their simplicity. Indie Soull doesn’t hide behind metaphor; instead, he gently lays bare the quiet weight of observation, memory, and longing.

Songs like My Love Wears Diamonds offer moments of old-world romance, evoking classic jazz standards with vintage phrasing and romantic elegance. Throughout the album, sparse arrangements allow the songwriting and vocals to stand unadorned. The emotional core of The Summer Sessions – from beginning to end – is warm, vulnerable, and sincere.

With this final chapter in the Seasons series, Indie Soull reminds us that summer isn’t just a time of year – it’s a feeling we keep chasing. His earnest songwriting invites us to sit with that fleeting warmth a little longer.