Dreamy indie folk with an ambient slant. This is O’Neil’s first record with K Records (she is touring with Mt. Eerie and Karl Blau), but this is not the standard lo-fi, gritty, experimental pop you would expect from K. This is more ambient and spaced-out than the standard indie folk stuff, too, and features looping effects and guitar manipulation, rather than mandolin or acoustic guitars. Record label suggests RIYL Cat Power and Smog but I would say this is more along the lines of Marisa Nadler, Jasmina Maschina, or Grouper. This is mostly night-time music for sad people who love to wallow in their melancholy. A Ways Away is a moody, sweet, melodic record with simple, well-written songs, and lovely guitar tones and fuzz. Members from Ida guest on the record. Tara Jane O’Neil also does visual art. No FCCs.

1. Lightly chiming percussion, dreamy backing vocals, electric guitar is a little droney and repetitive. Track does not seem nearly as long as it is. (5:16)
2. Strings open, very pretty, reverbed guitars and light, heavenly vocals. (2:46)
*3. Some sort of drone opens, rhythmic track with ringing notes, and smooth guitar work, almost electronic/glitch percussion. (3:40)
4. Distant, effects-drenched vocals, nostalgic track, percussion is very soft and clatters along, tense guitar outro. (3:35)
5. Maybe this one sounds a little like Cat Power, strings on this one (as opposed to guitar loops), kind of a straightforward ballad, sad. (5:04)
*6. Instrumental. Really dreamy, wandering intro, gorgeous… like drifting about an abandoned cornfield in the pitch black. Droney, circular, low-end hum, feedback comes in, ends in some dissonance, fades into 7. (3:22)
*7. Continues with the ambience of the last track, cello notes are struck in time, strings, bluesy electric guitar, light tambourine strikes. Reminds me of Yo La Tengo a little bit. (3:56)
8. More straightforward folk pop construction, melancholy, sweet backing vocals, another good one. (3:00)
9. Light, breezy backing vocals howl around a pretty guitar melody. This one’s a little lo-fi. (2:17)
*10. Instrumental. Fuzzy feedback opens the track, layers of more guitar effects and humming drones envelop the track. No percussion, just beautiful, dreamy, hazy interweaving fuzz. (4:17)