Tiarn is a gorgeous sophomore record by Australian ambient-folk producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Hana Stretton. It follows her 2023 debut album Soon, which, like its predecessor, comes alive off the record, existing as a living and breathing tapestry of sound. Where Soon found its focus on the fires and floods of the Australian bush, the latest project casts its gaze on the endless shores of the Pacific Ocean, where Stretton’s boundless textural explorations reflect a world suspended in blue.
Living in isolation near the ocean, overlooking the winter migration of Whales, Stretton would regularly swim for 20 minutes during the ‘blue hour’. Ideas would crystallise into existence as she submerged into icy salt water, and melodies would come alive as she recorded into the night. At its core, Tiarn is a manifestation of ecological grief and a search for connection in an ever-changing world.
Commencing with Nojiri 1993, the sound is minimal and unrushed, slowly coming into view with a wash of harmonium and a symphony of birdsong before surreal operatic vocals burst into life. Tiarn, with its seemingly endless sonic palette, is best enjoyed in an environment where you can reach out and grab everything its composer has to offer. Seagull Theory II is delightfully playful with its footstomping rhythm and call-and-response vocals.
As It Was Before This is an outpouring of community spirit, featuring the rallying and unifying Forest Creek Folk. This 60-person local choir provides a fantastic window into the sheer scope of ideas Stretton orbits (the track also features a recording of Paddy Keenan on uilleann pipes). Stove looks to the night sky and sees a constellation of Grouper and Vashti Bunyan; it’s one of the most infinitely impressive compositions of the year, warm, organic synths that transport you to a meditative centre.
Right Whale is a dreamy piano ballad until it’s not; new ideas and compositions are constantly entering the picture, building the track up slowly and steadily, as Stretton does so elegantly across the entire record. The same process exists on Night Swimming, with its quiet urgency; gentle introductions become larger pictures, and this is something that Stretton brings to life across the whole record, constantly turning the dial and creating a sense of surprise about where her ideas are going next.
Tiarn is truly a multi-dimensional piece of work, with so many of its ideas exploding into life across its 11 tracks. Hana Stretton stands with paintbrush in hand, a bold and original voice, trusting in her own vision to paint all the colours of the world.
Tiarn (August 7th, 2026) Lima Limo Records & Special Edition via P.W. Elverum & Sun