Trust Fall is a mature record from an up and coming artist. Hannah Delynn’s first track, “For The Record,” is a goodbye song that’s part apology, part affirmation of the decision to leave. There’s very little bitterness about a situation that had to have been fairly difficult. “I want the best for you,” Delynn sings of someone who hurt her enough to cause the singer to end something that could at times be beautiful.
There are folk albums that paint scenes with such detail you can practically see what you’re hearing. Trust Fall perhaps the exact opposite of that. There are breakups, fallings out, and other strains but we never get a clear picture of what’s going on past the notion that one song might be more about a family member and another focused on romance. Somehow, that’s a good thing. There’s a universality to songs heavy on feelings and concepts and light on specifics. There’s also a little dignity and privacy for the artist and subjects. An artist may choose to put her life on display, but those around her probably haven’t. When she says she wants the best for someone, it’s easy to believe her. She’s providing them with the room to achieve whatever that looks like. Delynn’s message of understanding is “a learned practice,” but it certainly feels genuine.
“I have realized over time that most people are trying to do their best with the tools they have,” said Delynn. “I think something that’s been really helpful for me is to try to assume goodwill and good intent and recognize everyone’s humanity. It has not been an easy journey by any means, but I think it grants myself a lot more peace.”
The best part about an album like this is the measured quality of Delynn’s assessment. She’s not lashing out or beating herself up. She’s on her own list of people she wants the best for.
During our conversation, I decided to stick with the spirit of Trust Fall and respect the privacy of Delynn and those involved. I was happy to ask her to explain what she meant, but reluctant to push for details on what happened. If she had wanted to air those parts of her life, I suspect she would have addressed them under the optimal conditions of being able to write and edit the stories.
“Talking about things that have hurt me was a very new experience and I felt really scared about doing it,” said Delynn, who added that some of the subjects of her songs have heard what she wrote. “I’m trying to infuse talking about difficult things with some grace. A lot of this record is beginning to realize my own part. Being human is hard sometimes, and I’d rather go into this record stating that I acknowledge that.”
Delynn has had to get comfortable with a lack of closure. Many of the situations she sings about on Trust Fall are unresolved in some way. Just as there are details missing in the stories we’re hearing, there are pieces missing for their author.
“So much of my experience of healing has been being able to sit with that discomfort and uncertainty,” said Delynn. “You might not get the conversation that you still hope to have with a friend, a family member, an ex. I think the way we can help ourselves is to get comfortable in discomfort, or at least find tools and ways of coping that create more peace within ourselves and therefore ripples out into our lives.”
Many of Delynn’s difficult conversations on the album are with herself. She’s questioning her past actions. She’s unsure how she let others get her into bad places.
“It’s painful to reckon with time lost. There’s so much up to that point where [I wonder] why didn’t I see this sooner,” asked Delynn. “We can cultivate gratitude. You wouldn’t have gotten to the good place if you hadn’t had messed up. You’re only becoming the best version of yourself because of that hardship.”
It’s a muscle she describes as having to develop slowly as she learned how to speak to herself in a different way.
“How would I talk to someone else I love if I don’t want to talk to myself this way,” Delynn asked.
“Leaf on a River,” the album’s most gorgeous song, is about recognizing that she needs to relax and let things be. She came to understand that she can’t control others and can’t change the past.
“If I can forgive her/I might reach the sea,” she realizes.
“I feel like you can catch glimpses of it,” she said of her sea. “I think I’m getting better at creating my own internal peaceful sea. But it certainly can be stormy weather in there sometimes.”
The name Trust Fall comes from Delynn making vital changes to heal, even if it meant stepping onto unsteady and new ground. Her sense of having lost time and not lived to her fullest it at its strongest on the serene but agonized last track “Waiting.”
“I don’t feel quite finished yet/When this sun sets/maybe I’ll get another,” Delynn sings on waiting.
“I had been experimenting in my life by instead of waiting for the conditions to be right, acting and hoping a net will appear,” Delynn said. “Almost testing the universe in a way by leading with the kind of life I want to have and seeing what responds.”
Delynn has learned to readjust her expectations in all kinds of relationships and to change what she values.
“When someone shows you what they’re willing to give you, I think it’s learning to read that and accept that and begin to set your expectations accordingly,” Delynn said. “Reciprocity has become a huge gauge.”
Trust Fall is a gorgeous and calming record that covers all kinds of awareness of self and awareness of others. It’s mature in both wanting the right things for others and learning to accept what might be best for yourself. While I tend to prefer albums rich in detail, this one in particular works with fairly little: it’s probably best to fill in the gaps with details from your own life.
Above is the full episode as aired on WUSB’s Country Pocket, including both my interview with Hannah Delynn and the songs we discussed, starting with For The Record, which extends grace in a difficult situation. The interview begins with the second video in the playlist. You can hear the show live every Monday at 4pm on WUSB 90.1 FM or check the blog to watch it as a YouTube playlist. Visit http://www.WUSB.fm and https://hannahdelynn.com for more.
Country Pocket 