Hiraeth is a home-recorded album by Doug Galante, the creator behind Shadow Forest. Galante’s rich imagination and expressive storytelling blossom in your mind. The album revolves around the emotional journey turn-of-the-20th-century women misplaced and trapped in a different time and space, expressing the feeling of homesickness and nostalgia with paranormal reference of a place/time that doesn’t exist anymore.

Eyes are the windows of the soul. Inspired by a video of a woman sitting down to dinner at a fancy Parisian restaurant in the 1920s, “Window of the Soul” connects to the spiritual and emotional world of a woman from another century. Like a wild dream that fits between reality and imagination, whimsical guitar and echoing string recall the emotive strings of a beautiful connection.

“Daydreaming Wallflowers” is the swirling intensity of soft, blossoming imageries. An intricate blend of silky dreams in a space that doesn’t exist. Low strings and reverberant beats leave a stain in space. The male choir in the background evokes a sense of sacredness and destiny.

“Her Heart Unlocked, Only to be Broken” is a hypnotic sonic tunnel that walked the shattering path of darkness and heartache. The hard-hitting track features a crunchy sound effect and soft vocal. Following the footstep, “Alone in Your Crowd” drifts into the world of loneliness and sadness although surrounded by people. The outside sound is faint, while the inner feelings are highlighted.