Irish singer/songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson dubbed herself SOAK as a teenager, and she’s been writing idiosyncratic indie pop gems ever since. Her debut album, Before We Forgot How to Dream, is full of the same poignant small-town tales and delicate guitar melodies found on her early singles. At the same time, Monds-Watson adds some surprising new elements to her intimate, folk-influenced style, from stately string arrangements (“Wait”) to rambunctious drumming (“Garden”) and angelic harmonies (“Shuvels”). Lush, moving, and witty, Before We Forgot How to Dream is a decidedly ambitious album, but it also has the homemade charm of an off-the-cuff demo tape. We picked SOAK for our 2015 New Artist Spotlight.