From the first moments of Goodbye Long Winter Shadow, layers of strings, woodwinds, acoustic guitar and the warm anchoring voice of Maia Friedman blossom as if to say “you are here.” The lush arrangements and sage lyricism are an enveloping statement of intent. They carry the devotion to nature Friedman fostered growing up in California’s Sierra Nevada with a new mother’s exploration of time and transformation. Friedman spent months developing the language of the album, pursuing the music she envisioned with characteristic patience. Produced with Philip Weinrobe (Adrianne Lenker, Florist) and Oliver Hill (Magdalena Bay, Helado Negro), the result is chamber pop abounding with melodic intimacy, a world where instruments bob and weave around the heart-stopping clarity of Friedman’s voice.

Though 2022’s acclaimed debut Under the New Light was the first album under her name, the California-born, New York-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has honed her sound for years as a member of both Dirty Projectors and Coco, the shared project of Friedman, Hill and Dan Molad. Where her debut was built from collaborative improvisation, Goodbye Long Winter Shadow is a collection of songs in the classic sense. Intimate instrumentals punctuate its running time and emphasize the sonic palette of the orchestral arrangements. Friedman’s lyricism and writing here is timeless, tightly composed and interspersed with surprising harmonic turns. If not for the heightened quality of its recording by Weinrobe, it might have been made decades ago; it’s Nico’s Chelsea Girl for today.