I don't remember how I first heard about this album, and I put off listening to it until the final days of the year, but from the opening moments of "Follow It," I knew I was in for something special. On All Around Us, Briana Marela folds the straightforward sincerity of singer-songwriter folk into sparse electronic soundscapes that, despite their minimalism, are surprisingly comforting and warm. It's a sound that bridges the gap between some of the other artists I've enjoyed most this year, sitting comfortably alongside the DIY sentimentality of Eskimeaux and the bubbly synth-laden pop of Braids. But Marela has also crafted a style that can be considered all her own.

"Follow It," as I've already suggested, is the most instantly engaging opening track I've heard in a long time. One by one, single lines of vocal melody are layered on top of each other to create an impenetrable fortress of sound; though eventually joined by sweeps of percussion and keyboard, they remain the clear foundation of the playful primary melody. On lesser albums, this would be the standout, impossible to best, but Marela soon proves she's got a whole bagful of impressive tricks up her sleeve with "Take Care of Me" and "Friend Tonight," which are as catchy as anything I've heard recently on the radio but twice as inventive. While they clearly have a hand-made quality to them, they're also not lacking in sophistication: the child-like lilt of their melodies and Marela's light, sweet vocals are elevated by their lush, dreamy atmospheres and crystal-clear production.

Much of the rest of the album takes a more relaxed approach, and while these expansive, low-tempo tracks are initially harder to grasp, they benefit greatly from repeated listens. It takes patience and a careful ear to pick out all of their subtle intricacies of melody, instrumentation, and production. At the same time, they are so gorgeously hazy and ethereal that it's not hard work to keep listening. "Dani" and the title track both build tension through the suspension of gratification before releasing it, in a sudden cathartic burst, when the climactic moment finally arrives, a hypnotic wall of reverb-drenched vocals, keyboards, and ambient sounds.