Aldous Harding

Known for her minimalist abstraction of folk music, Wales-based singer/songwriter Aldous Harding has emerged as one of the 21st century’s most unpredictably exciting musicians. Born Hannah Sian Topp in Lyttelton, New Zealand, in 1990 to two musicians, Harding began to learn guitar and write her own songs in her early 20s, after her father gifted her with a bespoke guitar. In 2014 she released her self-titled debut, which placed her spectral soprano amid stark landscapes; after it garnered acclaim, the storied New Zealand label Flying Nun reissued it. Party, which came out in 2017, grounded Harding’s voice in muscular yet still spare arrangements, giving extra heft to the emotionally gutting lyrics; two years later, Designer brought more instrumentation into the mix, with songs like the throbbing “The Barrel” capturing the imagination of indie rockers and Americana fans alike. In 2022, Harding released Warm Chris, which dialed back the hooks of its predecessor just enough to accentuate her music’s inherent dreaminess.