Provincial Park – Buildings and Food (2025) – Album Review

Album: Provincial Park

Artist: Buildings and Food

Release Date: May 9, 2025

Hailing from the northern hemisphere in Canada, Jen K Wilson crafts her songs under the Buildings and Food moniker, using electronic and acoustic sounds to create a swelling sonic sunrise of warm melodic IDM. She’s been playing in various indie/alternative rock outfits in the 1990s and released her first solo album in 2018 under B&F. Drawing on various pioneers in experimental electronic music, Jen’s foray is personal and sincere. I’ll be reviewing her fifth album titled Provincial Park, which explores meditation and beauty in the wilderness that is not cluttered with the sounds and usual loudness of human habitats. 

Buildings and Food – Provincial Park

Initial feeling: I would be lying if this type of sonic experimentation didn’t sound like it has hints of Boards of Canada. However, I’m leaning away from that obvious comparison. I hear more peaceful melodies and comforting tones versus the nostalgic, ominous cult craft the Scottish duo invoke. B&F has stronger similarities to Off Land and Yuri Urano, which feature the field recordings that build the themes in which the other instruments complement rather than dominate. 

Taking some snapshots of the standout tracks, I’ll peel into this wild fruit. 

Clear Skies – Whimsical intro that harkens back to the lighter 90s IDM vibe of Selected Ambient Works II. As the clicks and chirping tumble around a by-the-numbers hi-hat pattern, the hollowed-out chords play an upward progression to invoke that sense of a large but welcoming sky. You can feel yourself outstretching your arms to gather the warmth as the song winds down.

Maps II – Slow plucking of the guitar as you thumb through your trail guide, deciding on which lazy path to follow. You can tell the FM/sinewave tones are very mild. They’re meant to be more bell/chimes that are heard from miles away, as a beacon. You hear more of the alternative/indie songwriting used than in other songs on the album, which is a strength and doesn’t feel out of place on the IDM trailheads. 

Room in Dreams – Whiffled drum patterns and muted tones to ease your mind into REM. It then becomes increasingly mechanical, and the drums evolve into lo-fi bit degradation, giving all the rounded sounds a harsher and more angular accent. I wonder if this song would have been better suited to a different album or perhaps a one-off, as it really veers away from the nature theme and features more funky synth plucks. 

Park Province – Fuzz nostalgia washing over the soft winds and fresh needles of the pines. It’s a peaceful melody that is fairly overdriven, but low enough in the mix for the softer upright piano to come through the distorted layers. I’m not sure if this is meant to be something you listen to as you have a tearful goodbye or an uneasy greeting, but either way, it’s a nice and to-the-point piece. 

Overall, I think the album showcases B&F’s strengths in writing melodies and arrangements. A great use of familiar tools such as guitars, pianos, synths, and microphones, sculpting a positive and soothing nature-based soundtrack. 

One QUICK mention is that B&F released a companion EP, which explores more head-nodding beats with 4 of the tracks. Room in Dreams (Ancient Trees) has a richer context with the simple kick and hat pattern. While I still think it’s not as tightly themed with the rest of the previous album, this particular new mix works best in a playlist that appeals to ambient IDM DJs.