“In Knots,” by Fari, is like a whispered secret in a crowded room: a confession, a cré de coeur, and an aural snapshot of a spirit in flux. The Brighton-based neo-soulstress weaves a tapestry out of raw emotion, the jagged thread of her voice stitching together fragments of jealousy, stagnation, and mental health struggles.
Fari is real, and that’s her superpower; she’s not afraid to let you see her scars, to let you into all of her thoughts. Songwriting for Fari is her way of exorcising demons and finding her own catharsis. “In Knots” is an ode to the power of vulnerability, a call to restore normalcy in discussions about growth and mental health.
The music itself is slow-burning fire, hypnotic neo-soul, and R&B with live looping, which is reminiscent of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. Fari’s, on the other hand, is a thoroughly reserved vocal delivery—one which cracks with emotion on edges of phrases. It is deeply personal and entirely relatable.
I remember Frida Kahlo, regard for the unapologetic portrayal of pain, physical and emotional. A sound example of frippery itself—a parallel to that of Fari’s music—is a window into a world that we listeners peer into to better reflect on our own struggles. It was at that moment, listening to “In Knots,” that I realized growth is a really messy, non-linear process, and it’s beautiful because of that.
Fari’s “In Knots” is a triumph: some kind of chronicle of the human spirit and its ability to stick with one through most any rough patch and emerge reformed on the other side. A release that will have you holding your breath—maybe even a little changed.
Follow Fari on Website, YouTube and Instagram.
