Louisiana singer-songwriter Renée Reed has a timeless feel to her music— her sound combines wispy, ethereal vocals with vintage-washed acoustic melodies. There’s a comforting sense of familiarity to the folk backbone in Reed’s songs, but she also supplies listeners with invigorating injections of different sonic stylings throughout her 2021 self-titled debut record. Songs like “Où est la fée” and “Drunken Widow’s Waltz” showcase Reed singing in French, while the guitars on the track “I Saw a Ghost” give nods to Flamenco music.

Reed’s unique sound likely stems from her wide array of influences growing up. Her parents owned a one-stop Cajun shop that hosted many jam sessions, and Reed also absorbed the sound of Cajun and Creole music legends in her native region of Southwest Louisiana. From music festivals to her own front porch, Reed was continuously exposed to live music at a young age. She also cites The Beatles, Kate Bush, the films of Rankin/Bass, video games and 60s folk music as creative inspirations.

During high school, Reed played in a band called Shrugs, playing with the group at house shows around Louisiana. Eventually, she began to experiment with writing and playing solo material, interspersed with performances of Cajun songs with other musicians in her community. In 2020, Reed began recording her music for the first time using a Tascam cassette four-track that her partner had brought home. The majority of songs that she recorded ended up making it onto her debut record, and perhaps the most impressive fact about this impromptu recording session is that some of the tracks were written from scratch during the process.

I have yet to see Renée Reed perform live, but I have faith that her performance will be nothing short of mesmerizing thanks to her extensive variety of influences and history with music. If you live in Chicago, she’ll be playing a show at Sleeping Village on Monday, October 25th with Half Gringa. Get your tickets to that show here, and check out all of her upcoming tour dates.