Local singer-songwriter Olivia Kramer was challenged last year to write and release an album’s worth of songs. She’d been putting out singles up to that point, but wanted to see if she could write enough for a long player. Turns out she could. 

Recorded with a small group of talented friends, Olivia & The Garden Dogs’ debut Motherland “is about all the amazing women we have in our lives. It’s about the trials we go through as women and the way mothers, sisters, and friends bring us out of those hard times.” 

Motherland is 10 songs tightly constructed, but with a simplicity that begs for repeated listens. Ornamented to give depth to the songs, while never feeling overstuffed. 

Artists like Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, and Lucy Dacus come to mind while hearing the gorgeous opener “Motherland.” Finger-picked guitar strings accompany her subtle, melodic vocals. 

“St. Michael” has ghostly steel string guitar that gives it a dreamy feel. “8 Billion Eyes” has slight Beatles touches in the layered vocals and descending guitar line. Midway through drums kick in and more instrumentation give it all a very ’90s alt rock feel. 

“Lizzie” is contemplative and longing, while “Now He Wears a Suit” has big ’80s and ’90s vibes with a touch of The Smiths and a dash of Sixpence None the Richer. “Best Friend Song” has a bittersweet, melancholy lean to it. It feels like a child’s lament for a friend that’s been through the good and bad and survived to tell the tale, while “Jackie’s Song” ends the album on a folksy note, but with crystalline vocals and just enough ambient music textures to elevate it from mere folk pop. 

Motherland came out of a challenge and Olivia & The Garden Dogs said “challenge accepted” and made a stunning debut. More than that, Kramer made a tribute to women both in her life and women in general. Excited to see where this Ohio native takes it from here.