Sara Miller – Oceanic Dreamer

Sara Miller is one of the rare alchemists who can push a tune to its emotional breaking point while also keeping it on the right side of cheesy. It’s a line she teetered on with her debut EP for Permanent Vacation in 2023, and now she returns to the label with ‘Oceanic Dreams’ to edge even closer. Take the opener ‘Odyssey’. The tune is as dramatic as the titular Odysseus returning to Ithaca thanks to Miller filling the stereofield with layers of piano, sighing pads, and breathy vocal samples. In lesser hands, this might be too much, but the swung drum programming and throwback progressive bassline gives the tune some serious bite.