While many artists took the pandemic downtime to re-evaluate their careers and try to figure out the next move, Cara went straight to evolving her core sound. Wholesome Dread acts both like a step forward in an artist’s journey, but also a fitting tribute to the music she grew up loving. Swirling synth samples, jangly electric guitars, and sweeping soundscapes of pop hooks reign throughout. Thankfully, they’re only elevated by Cara’s knack for wholesome performance and introspective lyrics. Wholesome Dread is legitimately the best of both proverbial worlds.
Cara Louise is an interesting artist due to her ability to effectively blend genres, be it pop, country, or folk. There’s something to be said about jack-of-all-trades artists like Cara. Throughout the years, we’ve seen countless artists collapse under the weight of their own ambitions. It’s even more common in the music industry these days, no thanks to the ever-changing algorithm and the need to chase fleeting trends. But Cara is authentic. There’s nothing in Wholesome Dread that sounds like something she hasn’t faced. However, none of her experiences come at the expense of enjoyable music. For all intents and purposes, Wholesome Dread is a pop record. But the wholesome and dread elements are evenly balanced.
| A1 | Wholesome Dread |
| A2 | Must Be Nice |
| A3 | Empty Me |
| A4 | Heavy Arms |
| B1 | Julia |
| B2 | Martini |
| B3 | To Be Dead (Is to Be Known) |
| B4 | The Way I Am |
| B5 | Easy as That |
