Hopefully, one of the last releases – although certainly one of the best – born from the disaster that was the pandemic lockdown. Clowes, without sentimentality, but with much craft and no little passion, has found some sweetness amid the pain and loss. This is music of communication and community forged from a time when both were, and still remain, under threat. Most of the songs came out of live streams that coaxed Clowes into writing new material for her much loved band My Iris, for whom this is the fourth release, but her first for Greenleaf, a combination that promises future riches.

It’s all captured in the magical opening title track. Starting from what seems an unlikely two step figure, the whole builds into a swinging joy. Montague gives a flowing blackbird song of a solo, while Maddren, who like his boss, but rare among drummers, is able to play with great intensity but at the lowest of volumes drives the whole shebang with brio. Rhythmically, especially with no bassist, Stanley is often the harmonic glue holding these intimate voicings together, but he’s happy to burst out with splendid break as on ‘Amber’ which grows into a funky little monster. ‘Amber’ is one of two songs dedicated to women Clowes deeply respects, in this case Amber Bauer who started the grassroots charity forRefugees.

There can at times be something a little studious about Clowes' writing, but if that makes it thoughtful and structured, the affordances outweigh any minor carps. Either way, she knows the voices of the band so well that they usefully bring their own grace to her underlying reasonableness. A View With A Room grows with each play and will be listened to way after the era of its becoming has passed. We hope.