Australian indie folk artist Isabel Rumble guides us through her beautiful sophomore album ‘Hold Everything Lightly,’ a gentle and moving exploration of change, self-acceptance, and the quiet strength that comes from vulnerability. In her conversation with Atwood Magazine, the Australian singer/songwriter discusses themes of womanhood, renewal, and the heart's enduring ability to soften, release, and start anew.
Stream: “Soften” – Isabel Rumble
“I will soften into change.”
This lyric resonates like a deep breath released, a gentle promise of surrender. It is at the core of Isabel Rumble’s Hold Everything Lightly, an album that navigates life's subtle revolutions with elegance, gentleness, and unwavering honesty. With a delicate yet impactful sound, the album encourages listeners to view vulnerability as a source of strength, embracing softness as resilience rather than fragility. Across ten meticulously crafted tracks, Rumble converts change into catharsis and contemplation into renewal—each note serving as a reminder that healing can be gentle yet powerful enough to create significant change. It's a body of work that feels more like an honest reckoning than a statement—a journey back to oneself.
Hold Everything Lightly – Isabel Rumble
A thousand women inside me
A thousand wombs to guide me on
I’m tending to the mending
I know good things will come
from the seeds I’ve sown
I will soften into change
I will blossom from the
grace of my mistakes
I’ll dance my way through the night
To the dark side of the moon
Tell me I know myself without you
– “Soften,” Isabel Rumble
Atwood Magazine is excited to present Hold Everything Lightly, the stunning sophomore album from Australian singer/songwriter Isabel Rumble (released October 24). Recorded in the tranquil setting of the Windsong Pavilion on New South Wales’ Sapphire Coast, the album explores the tender spaces between loss and acceptance, selfhood and womanhood, stillness and surrender. Drawing from her unique indie folk sound, Rumble creates a sense of intimacy that feels rooted in the earth and open to the skies. From the soft yearning of “Soften” and “Better Half of Me” to the quiet intensity of “Digesting History,” her music invites deep listening, offering a space to rest, release, and reflect.
“Hold Everything Lightly always leads me back to the heart,” Rumble shares with Atwood Magazine. “It feels like a pocketful of my truth, quiet and eternal. The songs came to me over a few years and encapsulate a significant period of change in my life. I was stepping into a music career while transitioning out of a long and beautiful relationship—so, there were many natural endings and new beginnings. In the midst of all this change, creative bursts helped me explore my motivations and express greater vulnerability in my writing. The most beautiful aspect of creating this record was returning to my home valley and recording at the incredible Windsong Pavilion at Four Winds on New South Wales’ Sapphire Coast. We were nestled in the bush behind the wintry bay, and the album naturally became intertwined with the land—specifically the land that nurtured me. It was a truly special recording experience with a small team of musicians I've grown up with and have always found inspiration from; producer Heath Cullen, bassist and backing vocalist Robyn Martin, and engineer Ben Fowler.”
This intimacy—a feeling of coming home—carries through each track.
Rumble's strong connection to her surroundings parallels her self-connection, suggesting that nature itself steadies her voice. By returning to the land of her upbringing, she also reconnects with something fundamental within herself: the heart's stillness. This marks a natural progression from her 2023 debut album, Bird Be Brave, which first showcased her as a luminous and thoughtful new voice in Australian folk. This second chapter carries that quiet evolution forward, enveloped in stillness and clarity.
“I feel this record represents a significant leap for me from my debut, which was in many ways innocent and hopeful,” she reflects. “While Hold Everything Lightly still contains that hope, it also isn’t afraid to explore darker aspects, seeking discoveries within them. This album was recorded differently than Bird Be Brave, which was tracked over a longer period. After extensive touring, I experienced the vulnerability and connection of live performances, and I wanted to encapsulate that energy in this album. The core of this record was captured in one week, with as much as possible recorded live in that beautiful space. Over the following months, the rest—harmonies and instrumental layers—was added. However, I believe the essence of the record resides in that specific time at Four Winds, and listening to it transports me back there. Consequently, it feels more expansive, full of those unique live recording moments that make it human. This album is undoubtedly more personal—it explores an internal landscape that I wasn’t prepared to navigate in
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Australian indie folk musician Isabel Rumble guides us through each track of her delicate and beautiful second album, 'Hold Everything Lightly.' This album serves as a gently inspiring reflection on transformation, self-acceptance, and the quiet power inherent in vulnerability. In her discussion with Atwood Magazine, the Australian singer/songwriter shares her thoughts on womanhood, renewal, and the heart's lasting ability to be gentle, release, and start anew.