This new album from multi-award-winning Gore storyteller Jenny Mitchell is bound to warm insides and ignite a fire in minds. A folk/country artist who has been in the music scene longer than she seems to have been alive, Mitchell’s wisdom and quiet wit show clearly within ‘Tug Of War’.

Having stood on many stages around NZ and Australia, she knows how to grab attention with her captivatingly conscious lyrics.

‘Tug Of War’ ebbs and flows between rapids like Snakes In The Grass to still waters like Holding and Make Peace With Time. Her lyrics demand to be thought about, and the pointed, straightforward way they are delivered means there’s no room to look away. It is with such pure intention the country elements intertwine with a folk sound and a pop structure. Her experience is clear, and this sophistication is shown through her music and collaborations with other established artists like Tami Neilson.

Trouble Finds A Girl, the first single Mitchell released this year, was written and performed in close collaboration with Neilson, and fell into the arms of the industry at the perfect time. Deliberately paced with a slow building intensity it is an exceptionally powerful song. Addressing issues like sexual abuse that people have shied away from too long in such a powerful yet peaceful way provides the space to fill in the gaps between words, and hopefully has encouraged people to think about how they process that message in their own lives.

Somehow, the album’s second single is accompanied by a stunning video featuring dancer Natalie Exeter and describes the feeling of watching someone you love struggling with mental health. Alongside collaborations with Neilson and Liv Cochrane Mitchell also wrote The Bush & The Birds with her two sisters, Maegan and Nicola Mitchell. 

Sometimes, there is so much to say that it feels hard to put into words, but Mitchell has done just that through ‘Tug Of War’. These songs make it easy to listen without distraction and absorb as much of the sound and stories as possible. Whilst seemingly soft-spoken, this album has a soul that hits you in the chest and makes you ponder.