Isgaard has been relatively silent since her 2019 record Human. I’ve always liked her voice and emotional way of composing, but I wondered if she was done. Well, she’s finally back with The Water in You, and it might be her most cohesive work yet. The album released on May 16^th.

Isgaard hails from Germany. You may know her most recently from her work with Single Celled Organism (whom you should check out also), but her solo work is quite different. I started listening to her back in 2014 with Naked, which was probably my favorite until now. Whiteout in 2016 and Human in 2019 were both excellent, as well. For The Water in You, she brings with her Jens Lueck on drums, keys, bass, guitars, and backing vocals; and Johnny Beck and Kay Soehl on guitars.

The music here is quite dreamy, like light filtering through water. This record leans more into a progressive rock sound, though her pop sensibilities aren’t completely lost. Jens is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, and so you’ll hear fantastic bass, quietly cinematic keys, and some rip-roaring guitar solos that nail the vibe and emotion of the moment. Isgaard’s signature vocal hooks are on full display, though not in a gimmicky way. No, the hooks are fairly reserved, but they become emblazoned upon your mind with repeated listens.

I think one reason for this is the somber lyrical content. The vocal melodies and hooks tend to accentuate the message, searing it into your mind. The Water in You has water as a theme, obviously, but in different contexts. Some songs feel bleak and dried out, hopeless. Some songs feel humid and burning. Some songs feel icy and shivering. The topics are wide-ranging, from racism to breakups to climate change. But there is always this floating aura that guides us through the album to make it all feel connected, whole.

The album has nine songs and I like them all. I like “See Red Light” and “Cocoon”, both beautiful and meaningful songs, but the album really hits its stride with “Now I’m The Water in You”, a swooning and gloriously atmospheric piece that I absolutely love. The first half ends with two more great tracks, “Let’s Use It For A Swing-by”, a song with effervescent style and a great chorus; and “From One To A Million”, another favorite with a golden and harmonious tone that I find irresistible.

The second half is good, too. “Thieves” feels urgent and desperate, which makes sense because of its climate change message. “Along the Wall” is groovy with dark harmonies; I like how Isgaard’s vocals almost feel trapped inside something—the song is about a person who is mentally strong but trapped inside a wilting body.

The last two songs are strong. “You Can Dance” is probably the catchiest, but like all Isgaard songs, she injects something eerie to make it feel different. The last track is one of my favorites; “We Should Have Known” is pretty bleak. It doesn’t leave us with a feeling of happiness, but of anticipation of some doomed future. It does this with a slow burning atmosphere that soon launches into a terrific guitar solo that becomes the touchstone for the entire song, and maybe even the album.

Isgaard is back and her writing is more relevant than ever. She deftly mixes pop and prog rock to great effect here, but the lyrical content and vocal performance are what really cement the album as my favorite from her. I hope prog rock fans will give it a chance.

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