Skylar Gudasz Sounds Good Going Bad on ‘Cinema’

Durham, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Skylar Gudasz has been compared to Joni Mitchell in the past. Which is understandable considering Gudasz’s stellar voice and her unique usage of open guitar tunings. But her lyrical attitude is more Sunset Strip or CBGB’s than Topanga Canyon. That’s why a better comparison may be Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. If you are explaining swagger, that is.

Gudasz was raised in Virginia by a musical family, and she started playing flute at age 5. Not only did the musician appear early, but so did the poet. She eventually taught herself piano and guitar, and adopted a distinct style of playing on both. She uses her instruments to support the songs and carry her voice, and subscribes to no genre or rules in the process.

Her new release, Cinema, listens like a series of film-noir shorts that embrace the darker hours. At the core of these songs is an unapologetic approach to life. There isn’t a lot of pain or heartache addressed, and love is neither lost nor found. Feelings seem superfluous. But emotion is everywhere. In Gudasz’s world, life is real and raw.

The album opens with “Femme Fatale,” which introduces the juxtaposition between the sweetness in Gudasz’s voice and the hard-edged lyrics. You can hear hidden rage in the muffled and staticky guitar tones, as the bright and airy vocals proclaim, “I used to be good, but I went bad for you.”

Cinema makes it seem as if Gudasz is making no effort to be good, to prove true that nothing good happens after midnight. To quote “Go Away,” “I want to feel midnight on my skin and then keep the sunrise company again.” This is an album about internal chaos, tumultuous human interactions, late-night “mistakes” that hold no regret, and troubled minds. The sunshine and rainbows were not invited.

“Play Nice” was the first single released, and really fortifies the comparison to Hynde. The lyrics “I’m as nice as a guillotine … I’m as nice as gasoline” come out matter of fact and without remorse. And even though the demeanor is not becoming, it’s hard to walk away from the song. And that is the sweet and spicy duality that pervades the entire album. You can tell Gudasz would be sweet if it suited her needs, but it just isn’t her style.

This is Gudasz’s second LP, and she seems to have owned her edge since Oleander (her first) was released in 2016. Two different studios and producers were used to record the album, providing a diversity that sounds thematic, not fragmented. For Cinema, Grammy-nominated producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, The National, The War On Drugs, Waxahatchee) worked with Gudasz at April Base studios in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, while Jeff Crawford (Daughter of Swords) worked with her in various North Carolina-based settings.

Many artists will start to find their way on a sophmore album. But Gudasz had already blazed a clear path with Oleander. Cinema is a continuation, albeit one with growth and depth, of Gudasz’s fierce independence as an artist. Her songwriting gets deeper, and the imagery more detailed, but it’s the same Gudasz. It isn’t alt-country, pop, folk, or rock and roll — by definition. But all those sounds lent a heavy influence.