Experimental ambient musician Ana Roxanne has just released her third album, ‘Poem 1’. The new record veers in a different direction from Roxanne’s usual dreamy style, walking the line between modern classical and alternative pop. It also brings her voice to the forefront and moves into a more traditional singer‑songwriter space.

If Natural Wonder Beauty Concept, her collaboration with DJ Python, crossed your path, you’ll already know she possesses a truly beautiful voice. This song demonstrates it beautifully and unmistakably.

The 9 tracks, one of which draws inspiration from Chopin, tell the story of Roxanne’s heartbreak. The album carries a melancholy essence throughout, inviting listeners to follow her sadness and newfound clarity.

Opening with ‘Age of Innocence’, only a few steady strings create a harmony, and her voice joins in a mystical, ambient melody. The track has minimal lyrics, but they are very impactful.

“I wanted to travel / Home into somewhere,” Roxanne breathes across an eerie suspended drone “, I wanted to try / And go very far.”

Roxanne focuses on storytelling through instruments as much as voice, a common theme throughout the album. The second song, ‘Berceuse in A-flat Minor, Op 45’, opens with soft piano notes accompanied by her gentle voice. The entire track uses only the piano, played by Roxanne, and her airy tones.

Fans of her earlier work will instantly fall in love with ‘One Shall Sleep’ (a reimagining of a 19th-century German classical piece) and ‘x’, both of which primarily use ambient sounds; the music builds gradually, introducing different sounds to create a mesmerising, hypnotic effect.

The stunning ‘Keepsake’ pares everything back to a sparse acoustic core, echoing the 1970s singer‑songwriter vibe Pitchfork mentioned in their review. Without electronics, it feels beautifully raw – almost like catching a first take.

Sitting at the heart of the album, ‘Untitled II’ moves with weight and warmth, soft jazz‑piano stabs and brushed drums drifting into a smoky, after‑hours mood.

The 5-minute-long closer ‘Atonement’ creates a wistful, nostalgic atmosphere, allowing the listeners a break from distracting thoughts to perhaps reflect on their actions.

Poem 1 presents life-altering shifts and new beginnings in the universal language of music.