VILLAGERS, THE ART OF PRETENDING TO SWIM

On The Art of Pretending to Swim, Villagers' Conor O'Brien folds faith, doubt, and digital disconnection into a lush, quietly restless collection. There’s a warmth in the production, looped beats, gospel-tinged harmonies, soft synth layers—that gives the record a pulse even when it drifts into abstraction. Tracks like “A Trick of the Light” and “Real Go-Getter” balance reflection with movement, revealing O'Brien reaching for meaning without claiming to have it all figured out. He’s one of my favorite artists, and The Art of Pretending to Swim does not disappoint.