'Alchemy' by Tess Posner: Find Your Power

Author

Trixie Rasputin

Stream Alchemy

Alchemy, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "the medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy whose aims were the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for diseases, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life." Like the alchemist that she is, Tess Posner has transformed pain into pleasure on her truly inspiring EP 'Alchemy'. 

I was first introduced to Tess Posner around the time that 'Alchemy' was released in September of 2023. She brought wildflower seed packets to her EP release show in San Francisco as a gift to each attendee, something that made me feel instant magic and connection. I had not yet listened to the music but I remember thinking right then that this was a confident and mystical artist, already a unique voice rising above the din. Once inside, It felt like I entered a secret society, or maybe even a witches' coven. Rose Haze was there that evening, and Joyce Lee, and it occurred to me that perhaps some kind of female revolution was happening, or needed to happen. Perhaps it was the beginning of alchemy in the Bay Area music scene.

What I often notice is that women are speaking the language that men speak, but it is rarely the other way around. Why is that? Is our secret female language actually our power? There are many ways to turn this question around in your mind, but I would recommend listening to 'Alchemy' before you draw your final conclusion. The first song, 'Feral Child', is a deeply descriptive story of finding intimacy with the hidden parts of ourselves. The fragility of Tess' voice and lyrics on this opening track bring you into her world like a finger beckoning through a slowly opening door. From there, the critically acclaimed song 'Volcano' suggests that a woman's fury might actually be the source of life. "What if I can't control it/I don't want this world to choke/On the anger that has smoldered/Into ash and smoke... I'm a volcano/When I let my fire go/I make diamond sands, fertile lands/You will know, you will know." It's so visceral, and I think every person can relate to the unpredictable mother figure in this song.

​All of the music on this EP is darkly danceable, but the lyrics are never lost in the music. Her producer Rob Wells keeps Tess' pristine voice up front on every track. 'My Heart Is Dry' is a greatly metaphorical song about lands that have dried up due to neglect, with only a single wildflower to give this arid landscape any hope of returning from the brink. This leads into 'Ghosts,' a song which gathers it's strength from a less is more approach to the music. With just a piano and voice, we are taken through a dimly lit hallway, or maybe a cemetery, and it is up to interpretation whether meeting the ghosts is something to fear, or something to cherish. Finally, the EP comes to it's conclusion with the song 'Black Cloud' and it is the perfect ending. After you hear this song, you realize that the EP is just a slice of a larger epic. As listeners we have been invited into the middle of story. There was more where it came from, and after our main character goes through the "black cloud" of someone else's pain, there is an inevitable cliffhanger. You know that she makes it through the harrowing journey to the center of herself, but what is next? Can she save the drowning on her way back home? If we are lucky, the next album will give us the answer.

Alchemy does everything it promises for the listener. It squeezes water from stones and turns pain into power. Like the volcano she professes to be, Tess doesn't hold anything back simply because she is not able to do so. This is a brave artist who is going to speak her truth at all costs. With flawless production and music that is satisfying to listen to over and over again, this EP puts Tess Posner in a league all her own. 
5/5 🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋