Man. Very conflicting thoughts about this one haha. Production is immaculate, instrumentation is incredible — unbelievably lush in a lot of places. Really wild stuff happening there I felt like Immunity was very much a “mood” record that had hooks to back it up, and this almost entirely lacked the latter. It almost doesn’t even really excel in the mood part either lol, the front half sounds like Big Thief attempting jazz and the back half is like a less memorable Folklore or Joni Mitchell I think with time I’ll acclimate, but this just really really is not what I wanted or expected. Feeling pretty down on it at the moment. Thought it was really boring — it was all just kinda there. Amoeba, Joanie, and and Reaper were my immediate favorites
Yes to all of this. A lot of it just kind of blended together for me and feels...lifeless. These songs kind of feel like demos that Jack came in and did some instrumentals/production on. The album is very Elliot Smith whisper-esque but she just doesn't match his style of that. There are no bops on here like Bags, Sofia, Softly, etc. and while that's not a requirement...it definitely is what attracted me to her debut.
Yeah, I mean obviously stepping aside from the fact I could never personally make this music..... it's pretty damn boring. Nothing to grab onto, no exciting moments, nothing that stands out as interesting..... just kinda exists. Completely and utterly fine, but I don't see a world where I reach for this album on purpose in the near future
yeah, Joanie feels like the obvious standout of this album. A lot going on there, and it all works really well
there's definitely some cool production moments on here though, unfortunately the moments don't really add up to their promise
Idk how I feel about this yet. One listen in and there were definitely some stunning moments. Very impressive songwriting and production. But yeah it definitely lost steam for me about halfway through. I feel like it’s gonna be a grower as well as an album I have to be in a particular mood for. Unlike Immunity, where it was pretty immediate and I can pretty much throw it on whenever. Definitely applaud her for her ambition and willingness to try something new. Looking forward to continuing to learn this album.
Man, this is SO good. I liked Immunity but had a hard time getting past the fact that more of it didn’t sound like “Bags” (my issue, not the album’s). By contrast, I think “Blouse” established the sound of this record perfectly. Weirdly, the one thing I kept thinking about while listening was that Tobias Jesso Jr. record from a while back, especially during the first half. Also would kind of pair nicely with that new Faye Webster record.
I had only listened to the first half last night and was super confused about the reactions, I think those songs are all pretty stunning. I did kinda check out this morning by track 9 though. Overall, still a good impression. I think I like it as an album more than Immunity.
A nice pleasant first listen, but definitely not grabbing me in the way the first did. Very low-tempo and samey.
It’s a chill and relaxing listen, but I do not love this on first listen like I did Immunity. I was expecting more of a progression of that album, not a total shift. I’ll come back to this when the leaves begin to fall.
I'm loving this. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I've just been really into this kind of vibe lately.
Yeah, I don't want to be that person that equates acoustic or minimalistic songs with being boring, she's obviously an extremely talented songwriter and Immunity was my AOTY, but this really could have used a little more...something to differentiate the songs. Really like "Amoeba" and "Joanie," and the rest is mostly pleasant, but I have to agree that I had pretty much checked out for the last quarter of the record. I like the idea of this kind of record from her on paper, but in execution, it feels a little sluggish on first listen. Would love for that to change for me though!