Born and raised in sun baked Tel Aviv, Adi-Keshet Cohen draws on a myriad of American female pop icons in this minimalist yet hauntingly catchy second release. In Only Birds (Miss My Shot) Cohen reframes elements of Lana Del Rey’s vocal lines and virtuoso song writing in a slick, polished and radio-ready production. The voice is intensely reverbed, then layered over cascading piano chords and driven along by a pragmatic, frugal drum beat.
The music video does well to capture the song’s essence; footage of the bright, sweeping desert-scapes of Israel provide a perfect backdrop for Cohen to belt out impassioned lyrics of love hankered for and then lost. The second verse proves to be the song’s climax in terms of musical nuance and emotional resonance, Cohen’s voice seamlessly adopting the folksy quirks of First Aid Kit’s Johanna Söderberg, as she croons in her well-judged falsetto: “Should I try harder/ Or will you retreat?/ You lure me into danger/But I’m still on my feet”.
The chorus sounds like it could be a sample from a 2000s Euro-beach club anthem, but Cohen manages to convey this shameless pop agenda with a gutsy conviction and some well measured sophistication. There is enough substance here to foreshadow Cohen being a revered pop force in years to come. Her second single has sufficient industry backing and co-operation from producer John Congleton (Angel Olsen and St. Vincent), whose involvement looks sure to aid Cohen and her ascent in the indie-art-pop scene.
This is her second single, released ahead of her debut album coming out early Spring 2020.