Please Don’t Ask Me How I’ve Been (Album 2026)

Ismena

Dreamy Melancholic Indie Folk Singer-Songwriter

Dark and grey(-scale) images have a certain beauty in them. It is with little bit of strain but even more fascination for the old, vintage touch and tranquillity, that let the eyes rest on them. So bands like Swedish Epic Doom formation Isole like to use those monochrome pictures, and so does an Amsterdam-based artist for „Please Don’t Ask Me How I’ve Been“ with a photo by Lorenzo Rietveld and artwork by Dana Springer. 

In 2023, Ismena put out her last acoustic diary entitled „This Time“. With her new work, she follows the concept of emotional pieces and a visual counterpart as artwork, resulting in an eleven-song strong long-player; forty-four minutes of peace for mind and body. It is ‚an invitation into her inner world‘, beginning with „I See Words“ and softly plugged guitar notes like in „Ochrasy“. 

Ismena incorporates songs, that work with piano and her vocals only. Plus she likes to add natural noises like birds chirping and water flowing („Endless Waves“). The big and personal topic „Home“ was covered by other acts like e.g. Ruhmer before. In Ismena’s case, it is a tune with more smart arrangements and strumming, of course always ‚unplugged‘ like Annihilator („Triple Threat“), Foreigner („Acoustique“) or Kate Stapley. 

With all those earthy acoustic, other attempts like from Bob Dylan („Oh Mercy“), Johnny Cash, U2 (especially „One“), or even Bon Jovi’s „This Left Feels Right“ can come to one’s mind. „One Million Years“ brings uplifting positive vibes with its rhythm and major harmonies, beautifully minimalistic in its best sense. 

Another strumming highlight is „I’m Not Here For You“, before „How Are You?“ includes the album title in the lyrics. „Be My Water“ ends it with great melodies, cymbals and shifted vocals – a suitable, mighty-fine closure. Generally, the endings are as smooth as they can be, and the piano plays an important role in „Please Don’t Ask Me How I’ve Been“.