LOS ANGELES, CA- For those discovering Forest for the first time, Swan Dive feels (based on the singles that have been released thus far) less like a conventional debut album than an introduction to an artist already possessing a remarkably defined creative identity. Scheduled for release on September 25 via AWAL, the Los Angeles singer-songwriter’s first full-length effort arrives preceded by four advance singles that collectively establish an aesthetic built upon emotional vulnerability, layered symbolism, and a fascinating balance between fragility and fury.
That contrast immediately became the most compelling aspect of Forest’s music for me. Her light, wispy vocals seem to float effortlessly above walls of distorted guitars, driving percussion, and industrial textures without ever being consumed by them. Instead, the softness of her voice makes the heavier moments hit even harder, creating an atmosphere that’s simultaneously ethereal and ominous. It’s that push and pull….beauty against abrasion, vulnerability against force…. that gives her music an emotional weight lingering well beyond each song’s final note.
That atmosphere is no accident.
According to the accompanying press materials, Swan Dive grew from an unexpected source: a framed photograph of a swan hanging in the bathroom of a hotel room where Forest was staying with her family. What began as a passing curiosity gradually evolved into a meditation on doomed romance, identity, grief, reinvention, and the stories we tell ourselves about love. Drawing inspiration from both the tragic mythology of Swan Lake and the legend that a swan dies after losing its lifelong mate, Forest uses that imagery as a jumping-off point for exploring what remains after relationships end and older versions of ourselves begin to disappear.
Although the album doesn’t seem to follow a single narrative, its songs orbit recurring questions of self-perception, intimacy, loneliness, and the lingering influence of memory. Those ideas reveal themselves throughout the four songs released ahead of the album, each examining a different emotional state while contributing to a remarkably cohesive whole.
The latest single, “Anchor,” is easily my favorite of the four. Built around the repeated image of an anchor tied so tightly that the narrator can no longer breathe, the song captures the suffocating weight of unresolved memories with remarkable restraint. Rather than relying on elaborate storytelling, Forest lets repetition, atmosphere, and melody do the emotional work. The result is both hypnotic and haunting, making “Anchor” the clearest example yet of her ability to pair vulnerability with immense sonic power.
Elsewhere, “Lay With Me” explores emotional dependence through deceptively simple language, contrasting the desire for intimacy with the fear of deception. “Whore & Savior” wrestles with the conflicting expectations placed upon women, using gambling imagery and fragmented memories to examine identity through the lens of first love. “Prosthetic Stars” rounds out the preview by pairing vivid imagery with emotional detachment, hinting at themes of loneliness, distraction, and self-destruction.
Taken individually, not every song connected with me to the same degree. Collectively, however, they’ve introduced a songwriter with a remarkably cohesive artistic vision. One of the things I appreciate most about Forest’s writing is that she rarely spells out her emotions directly. Instead, she builds recurring motifs that…. anchors… the emotional themes: wolves, roulette, artificial stars, seasons, silence. Those “actors” invite listeners to inhabit emotional spaces rather than simply observe them. Her lyrics remain intentionally sparse, leaving room for interpretation without sacrificing emotional impact, while the production pushes beyond traditional alternative rock by weaving electronic textures and industrial influences into dense, guitar-driven arrangements.
That willingness to embrace contradiction also appears central to Swan Dive. Throughout the material released so far, softness collides with aggression, intimacy gives way to isolation, and beauty coexists with unease. Even the music itself embodies those opposing forces, with Forest’s delicate vocal delivery serving not as a counterpoint to the heavier instrumentation, but as the very thing that makes it feel more powerful. It’s a dynamic that mirrors the album’s broader themes of memory, desire, reinvention, and the often uncomfortable process of becoming.
Forest’s creative process reflects that same spirit. Recorded primarily in producer Aaron Liebman’s backyard garage studio, Swan Dive embraces a deliberately DIY philosophy while expanding beyond the live-band approach of her earlier recordings. Drawing inspiration from artists like The Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones, Snake River Conspiracy, and Elliott Smith, Forest arrives at something that feels less like imitation than synthesis, blending those influences into a sound that increasingly feels like her own.
As someone coming to Forest’s music with fresh ears, I can’t say every advance single has landed equally. What I can say is that they’ve accomplished exactly what they were meant to do: introduce an artist with a confident creative identity while leaving me genuinely curious to hear how those ideas evolve across a full-length record. If these four songs represent the emotional and sonic foundation of Swan Dive, then Forest has already laid enough groundwork to make one of this fall’s more intriguing debut albums.
Swan Dive arrives September 25 via AWAL.
Follow Forest on TikTok, and Instagram.
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