u/Ethan201

Has anyone else been hearing echoes of older Tori songs in ‘In Times of Dragons’? Not in a “she’s repeating herself” way at all, more like certain songs feel spiritually connected to earlier eras or melodies and it’s been really interesting to me.

A few that immediately jumped out at me:

Provincetown reminds me of a mix of Mary and Talula.

St. Teresa gives me major Lust vibes.

Tempest feels somewhere between Carbon, Concertina and Bang.

Blue Lotus really reminds me of The Beekeeper crossed with Black Dove.

I’m curious what other people are hearing because I keep changing my mind the more I listen. Are there any songs on the album that instantly made you think of older Tori tracks or specific eras?

I’ve only had one full listen of In Times of Dragons so far and I can already tell it’s going to be one of those albums I need to sit with for a while. That’s pretty normal for her tbh. Most of her work takes time to unfold for me.

But Blue Lotus hit me instantly.

Specifically… the ending. I genuinely had to stop for a second after it finished.

What she’s doing with her voice there is kind of insane. It doesn’t even feel like singing, but like she’s using her voice as pure texture. It gets cracked, breathy, almost frayed, but it all feels completely intentional. Like she’s pushing right up to the edge of losing control but never actually does.

And yeah, her voice has obviously changed over the years. You can hear the wear. But what really struck me is how she’s not hiding that at all. If anything, she’s leaning into it. Those rough edges are the sound now, and she’s using them in a way that feels more raw and direct than a lot of her older stuff.

She’s always been experimental vocally, but this feels different to me. Less theatrical, more exposed? Like it’s not a “performance” of emotion, it just is the emotion.

Also couldn’t help thinking about how she was talking about Nick Cave in that recent interview. There’s a similar vibe of not chasing a “perfect” voice, but evolving with whatever your voice is now and still pushing it somewhere powerful.

Anyway, curious if anyone else had the same reaction or if a different track grabbed you first.