Album Reviews: Clairo, Brijean, Cigarettes After Sex

Clairo – Charm
Atlanta, GA

While she’s been exceptional in the indie scene as her career has grown, Clairo has really redefined herself, and taken a few giant skips up the ladder of her career with this latest record. With a rich and lush sound that mixes 70’s tones, hip hop influence, psychedelic charm and a smooth production that never lets the album hit a dull moment. “Nomad” breathes with an instant warmth and fleshed out feel in its sunny guitars and harsh drums, letting Cottrill play on her anchorless story. Though it’s the growing breadth of strings and low-end tones that really bring a unique rounded sound to this track. The unique collage of atypical tones, groove-centred writing and the frenetic-yet-addictive production lets “Sexy to Someone” call to a mix of Tame Impala and Vampire Weekend, while coming out uniquely as Clairo’s thanks to her surefooted delivery amidst a more explorative sound. Cottrill also manages to elevate a fairly simple 70’s-inspired slow jam on “Slow Dance,” with the circular piano lines, and blooming nature of the orchestrations allowing it a semi-magical spirit to enhance the listening experience over and over again. Though samey in this respect on the surface, the gliding piano lines of “Terrapin” slowly become a beast in their own right, as Clairo rides the waves of the track’s energy, and injects a little hip hop influence into the flow of the track.

Altin Gün– Gönül Dağı (Single)
Amsterdam, Netherlands/Turkey

As their first single since the departure of Merve Daşdemir, Altin Gün is shockingly moody more than anything else on “Gönül Dağı.” Slowing down their usual riffing and epic grandeur for a more devastating slow-burn, the track sees them diving deeper and deeper into darkness. Though it leaves a lot of room when compared with some of their other tracks, there’s a mounting pressure withing the guitars that lets this sparse energy shine. Though it can feel a lot sleepier than their usual fair just in how subdued it is, there’s something to be said of wading through the torn up wake of someone else’s emotions like this.

Cigarettes After Sex – X’s
El Paso, TX

For a band whose main crime is not reinventing the wheel, Cigarettes After Sex have managed to expand on their singular sound enough over the years to keep us coming back. While this album won’t justify the wildly blown-out ticket costs for their upcoming tour, it’s a welcome return for the band with moody grandeur and suave soundscapes. With an almost too close to the microphone performance, “X’s” opens the record on a beachy and misty note, playing to every iconic tone of the band with some extra aggression but a somewhat simple approach. They nail the infectious riffs on “Tejano Blue,” with an intensely lustful and romantic push, with every line oozing both feelings in equal parts, and especially enhancing those emotions in the textures of the vocals and guitars. With the bass leading the charge on “Holding You, Holding Me” there’s a more physical swing to the music, making every repetition feel a little more sensual, particularly in the run of “Just a little more”’s that never seem to stop.  “Baby Blue Movie” breaks up their usual sound to give a more momentum and hook-heavy writing to vary things up, while “Hot” is easily a touch of the band’s sultry powers at their most classic and magical.

Tove Lo & Kylie Minogue & Bebe Rexha – My Oh My (Single)
Helsingborg, Sweden/Melbourne, Australia/New York City

The pop stars have aligned across macro and micro generations on the latest collaboration from Tove Lo. Sensibility-wise, the track is the most leaned into Minogue’s world, with a lighter touch to the production and a more sporadic feel to the pop. While this does make for a very effective ear-worm, the song feels disconnected from much of the music Tovo Lo makes, and leaves her as more of a standout feature than the driver of the sound. Despite this issue of all-too-familiar pop trappings, it is cool to hear the subtle changes in the sound as the tack rotates between all the singers, and their signature sounds. The synth accordion is a fun choice too, and  by the end the real reservation is just how reserved the pre-chorus “Hi” ends up being, never really sticking its landing to set the song off.

Brijean – Macro
Oakland, CA

While they’ve always brought a cool, airy feeling to their relaxing tracks, Brijean have finessed their entire sound to a higher level on their new record. Like a dreamy bossa nova groove on a cloud, “Euphoric Avenue” is just as its name suggests, as it takes you through endless airy riffs and soothes you down to your DNA. The weight behind that slinking bass and percussion combo on “Counting Sheep” is romantically hypnotic, evoking an ethereal love in an otherworldly way, to an extent it’s almost disappointing that the vocals don’t break into impassioned wails by its close. But it’s too mesmerizing for you to be truly upset. Calling to 90s electronica and perhaps even the Flying Lizards, “Workin’ On It” sees Brijean’s rhythm section at their most ferocious and exciting, while the vocals do some dancing of their own and play in the many layered effects to create a beautiful sonic collage that moves your body. Once you start to feel the overt movement of “Roller Coaster” the whole song becomes a trip you want to physically move with, losing yourself in every synth touch and shimmying to every wave of bass.