Nashville-based indie-pop alchemist Joanna Borne makes her long-awaited 2024 return with “Angels”, a baroque-pop meditation on mortality and meaning that glides between celestial wonder and earthbound vulnerability. The single—a years-in-the-making labor of soul-searching—showcases Borne’s signature blend of cinematic production and raw lyrical intimacy, proving why she’s become one of indie music’s most compelling truth-tellers.
From its opening notes, “Angels” feels like peering through a cosmic keyhole: piano motifs and ghostly choir layers (preserved from Borne’s original demo) swirl around hypnotic synth textures, creating a soundscape that’s both heavenly and haunting. Borne’s crystalline vocals pose existential questions with the precision of a philosopher and the ache of a seeker: “We all wonder what happens after this life… that search is what I’m expressing,” she explains. The track’s painstaking evolution—from shelved demo to David Lehr’s co-writing session to Jesse Brock’s final production polish—mirrors its themes of patience and revelation.
What sets Borne apart is her dual life as psychiatric nurse and musician—an intersection that fuels her rare emotional honesty. Like Florence Welch fronting Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool, she bridges spiritual yearning and clinical observation, crafting pop that’s as intellectually stirring as it is melodically lush. With Grammy-winning engineer John Greenham handling mastering, “Angels” achieves a widescreen intimacy—perfect for both headphone contemplation and festival-stage crescendos.
With ‘Angels,’ Joanna Borne crafts a mesmerizing baroque-pop gem that dances between celestial wonder and earthbound vulnerability. Her crystalline vocals and lush production invite listeners into a haunting meditation on mortality—one that showcases her as indie music’s most compelling truth-teller.
