Better known at the time of her full-length recording debut, 2020's
Blush, for playing Robin Buckley on Stranger Things and for being the child of actors
Ethan Hawke and
Uma Thurman,
Maya Hawke nonetheless won over some music fans with her delicate vocal delivery and sweetly candid lyrics. That album featured music written by singer/songwriter
Jesse Harris, also known for his Grammy-winning work with
Norah Jones. Her second album for the Mom + Pop label,
MOSS finds
Hawke collaborating instead with
Benjamin Lazard Davis and
Christian Lee Hutson -- both soloists in their own right -- among others on a set of 13 unified songs. A reflective album focused on self-examination and reminiscences, its consistently wispier vocal performances find her trading the debut's few examples of confident pop, blues, or sultry jazz for entirely intimate plucked, strummed, and shimmering quietude. Modeled after specific recordings by
Phoebe Bridgers and
Taylor Swift, there are few drums on
MOSS. The
Hutson track "Sweet Tooth" is an album highlight that reflects on love and gratitude with a rare full-band arrangement led by what sounds like a blend of fingerpicked guitar and muted piano placed high in the mix. Another standout is "Crazy Kid," a duet with Will Graefe that injects the album's color-faded palette with a touch of twang. Elsewhere, tracks including "Sticky Little Words" and "Over" add minimal touches of distortion that do little to unsettle an album that's lovely on average and improves over the debut by committing to a design that suits
Hawke's vocal qualities. ~ Marcy Donelson