The first noise we hear on Christine is a bird, chirping merrily away, like it’s warming up its voice. It’s apropos, considering the five tunes of naturalist meditation we’re about to embark on.

The EP from Portland-based songwriter Canary Room, aka Maddy Heide, is one of 2021’s small joys. Heide’s dexterous guitar work and fluttering voice puts her alongside the bare musings of Linda Perhacs or Sibylle Baier, but with her constant gestures at the natural world, with water springing forth in nearly every lyric, Christine is most at place not with other humans, but in nature. By the end of the EP, it becomes self evident that the tuning bird at the start was getting ready to duet with Heide.

We chatted with Heide below: