Bandcamp Friday recommendation : Flo Perlin 'Characters'

Starting in lockdown, March 2020, Bandcamp waive their fees to help independent musicians and record labels who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by the pandemic. This first Friday of the month became known as Bandcamp Friday or Bandcamp Day.

An album we’ve been enjoying for several weeks now is Flo Perlin’s Characters. A timeless collection of classical and folk influenced rhythmically rich songs.

Album opener Slowly Unfolds perfects sets the goals and expectations for the album. Loose acoustic guitar offset against classy flow, subtlely assertive vocals call, and real strings melodically respond. The delicately melodic folky vibes of Back In Time ooze summer cool, with the insistently hypnotic and percussive guitar pensively driving the mood.

Blessed with Jewish Iraqi and Belarusian heritage Flo Perlin’s sound has a real maturity to it. Perlin learnt cello at the age of five and fell in love with the guitar when her Columbian teacher introduced her to the world of Bossa Nova, influencing her own finger-picking technique. Flo also taught herself piano and started singing at the age of 10 as a way to begin writing songs.

3 album deep, Hold Up Your Head Child, breaks into joyous percussive South American rhythms. The title track of the Characters long player Baghdad. Telling, honest and reminiscence

To sum, Flo Peril’s wonderfully classy and powerful personal journey presented as the essential Characters album. Listen and download from Bandcamp