Los Angeles-based artist Forest wants you to feel everything and “Whore & Savior” does exactly that. It pulls you back into those teenage emotions, that very specific phase of life that almost everyone can agree was as confusing as it was defining.
With tracks like “Prosthetic Star” and her four-track EP Intravenous French Kiss which includes fan favourite “Braid Your Hair”. Forest is part of a new generation of artists with range. She approaches music like a playground, pulling from whatever feels right in the moment, whether that’s pop, ’90s nostalgia, or early 2000s rock. There’s no strict lane, and that’s what makes it work.
After previewing the single across her socials, arguably the most effective way to build real anticipation now, the reaction felt immediate but more importantly, it felt genuine. People were drawn to it because it doesn’t try too hard to be anything other than what it is.
At its core, the track circles around first love and teenagehood, but not in that overly romanticised way. It feels more like looking back on something that once made sense, something that felt full at the time but now carries a kind of quiet heaviness. There’s still beauty in it, but it’s slightly undone.
What really stays with you is the tension she leans into, especially around womanhood. That in-between space of being perceived as pure or sexual, naïve or all-knowing. Forest doesn’t try to resolve it or make it neat. She sits in the middle of it in that uncomfortable push and pull and lets it exist as it is.
There’s already a sense of presence around Forest whether it’s sharing stages with the likes of Star crawler and Chokecherry, or her recent appearance at the sold-out BurnDown festival. With a North American tour alongside Clarion on the horizon, “Whore and Savior” doesn’t feel like an introduction. It feels like someone settling into their sound, and not feeling the need to dilute it.
Sonically, nothing feels overworked. The grit, the distortion, the weight of the guitars it all feels intentional but not over-explained. Her vocals don’t try to fight for space or overpower the instrumental. Instead, they sit within it, almost becoming part of the texture rather than something placed on top.There’s a balance in how everything is held together. The instrumental can feel heavy, even overwhelming at times, but her voice matches it in a way that feels whole. Not louder, not forced, just aligned. The scope of the sound is what makes it interesting. Even in its heaviest moments, there’s a sense of control, like everything is exactly where it needs to be.
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Listen to Forest’s New Single, Whore&Saviour
Photography by Bella Villa
Written by Maria Jonah
