The Keening - Devotion (2026)

Helmed by Rebecca Vernon (SubRosa), The Keening is back with their sophomore release “Devotion”. Featuring a very somber and captivating sound, mixing Americana, Gothic, Dark Folk elements with ethereal atmospherics and vocal melodies, we haven’t been as captivated by a release as much as we have been by this one in a while. With seven songs spanning over 41-minutes, this release will send shivvers down your spine with its magic.

Opening with the four part album title track, this release sets a very enigmatic tempo with “Golden Thread” and its lush vocal melodies lined with demoralizing instrumentation. The bleakness continues with the powerful “Fitful Sleep”, which takes a more bare-bones approach while creating some extremely haunting instrumental passages amongst more dreamy vocals. The catharsis starts with “The King”, where distorted guitars lead the way to SubRosa-esque moments, but this piece really comes full circle with the hypnotic “O Mother” and its very dramatic piano and cello/violin arrangements.

After being completely emotionally destroyed by the complex opener, “A Little Bit Of Blood” changes the pace to a more bombastic nature with a powerful chorus. The way this release waves back and forth ‘lively’ sections/songs to completely bleak pieces is very impressive, transmitting and triggering tons of different feelings to the listener, as “Time Travel”, brings down the mood again. Closing with the folky and heavier “The Murder of Anna Brown”, this release has a bit of everything for all kinds of music fans.

Overall, “Devotion” is one of those rare emotionally exhausting and triggering releases that has no fillers and sways the listener back and forth between different moods in a magical way. Rebbeca Vernon has managed to craft a nearly perfect release that balances dark and light unlike any other we have heard. All the additional instrumentation and atmospherics are just places at the right time to fully amplify the band’s core aural complexities and dynamism.

Rating: 98/100