With Ekko, Berlin-based Irish-Norwegian artist Tara Nome Doyle unveils her thirdalbum—a journey that ventures outward into the unknown and inward to thedepths of the self. Along the way, it explores pain, farewells, new beginnings, andultimately, acceptance.Spanning just 30 minutes, the album exudes a remarkable clarity—not just in itsbrevity, but in its emotional depth. Songs like Lighthouse, Bad Days, and Dive Infeature refrains destined for large venues, their powerful melodies soaring onpop-infused harmonies before retreating into the intimacy of the verses. Tara produced most of Ekko herself, intentionally keeping the musical palettesimple. She collaborated with Grammy winning producer and engineer SimonGoff (The Joker, Chernobyl) to create a precise, stripped-back soundscape builtaround voice, piano, guitar, strings, Mellotron, and occasional analogsynthesizers. A personal touch lies in the string arrangements: beforetranscribing the cello parts, Tara recorded vocal demos for each line herself. Ancient myths weave seamlessly through Ekko, intertwining with Tara’sintrospective themes. The figures of Narcissus and the nymph Echo embody twoextremes—self-obsession on one side and complete conformity on the other.These ideas resonate deeply in today’s digital landscape, where identity oftenshifts between authenticity and the pressure to assimilate. With Ekko, Tara reveals how repetition—like Echo’s curse—is not merely mimicrybut can be transformative: a reinterpretation of tradition and identity. Here, Echobecomes more than a passive voice; she is a medium for reshaping andreclaiming meaning. On the album cover, Tara wears shell headphones, a poignant symbol of listeninginward. The sound we hear is not distant or external—it’s the pulse of our ownblood coursing through our veins. The untainted dreams of what it means to be a human and an artist have faded—perhaps they were never entirely her own, but shaped by others. Now, the wavescrash against the reflection, and the sea roars. It’s a sound that resonates throughall of us—a deep echo of our own being
