If The Asteroids Galaxy Tour was the daytime party, Mette Lindberg’s solo album is the nighttime comedown, coming back to a kind of minimalism. Though this quietness can at times overpower the album’s melodic potential, Lindberg has a clear vision for her sound on this EP that bodes well for a return to music that will go even bigger. The opening track “One in a Million” swerves between dreamy bedroom pop and cosmic wonder through its starry synths, staying quiet and reserved, but stunning all the same. There’s a more direct and aggressive pop to “co star” that sees Lindberg’s vocal range really swinging for the fences. And though the track does remain a bit too restrained for its own good, there is a fun dive through more dark vibes as the song outros in a swirl of guitars. Lindberg hits closest to the sounds of her Danish contemporary MØ on “Air” with the overall sombre drive and more simplified key sounds, as she hones in on how to match the sound of the record to its energy. You feel like you’re in a drunken, loving daze on “Take Me Home,” as the guitars and synths shimmer like they’re dislodged in time, and you’re being pulled in by hypnosis.
There’s a delicate dance to make “Des Fleurs” work, as both Tove Loe and Stromae manage to trade parts of their sounds without ever feeling like one artist is totally featuring for the other. As the rolling pianos blend into waves of electronic and symphonic beauty, the duo trade lines, with Tove Lo crafting her most dramatic vocal moments in a while. While the song remains the same, Stromae blends a more spoken-word section with moments of bursting melodies between the most important words in his verse, as Tove Lo harmonizes in parts as well. Though this leaves the track’s dynamic range as more of a matter of band size, they make a lot of the fun hooks of the bridge and the way Tove Lo’s voice comes off its chains in the final swirling chorus.
Merging aesthetics of new wave, nerd rock and sharp dance pop sensibilities, La Sécurité have found their focus, and have turned themselves into a powerful unit of kaleidoscopic rock. With boundless excitement and a controlled creative chaos, the band has a vicious attack that feels like 10 bands you love flying in a blender together with endless colours. “Snack City” rides the Montreal brand of angular rock perfectly, slinging your ears through a strobe light of guitar tones and raw bass drive, with so much vocal fun that it’s hard to take in everything on the first listen. Things get to a groovier dance direction on “Deny,” with the bass moving like a snake, and the synth/guitar combo flying like sprites in the night. Despite the almost bouncy and crisp sounds that fly in the verses of “Detour,” the real fire explodes out on those choruses, as the rest of band rips into a riotous flare of noise, and later into a very Devo-meets-Oingo-Boingo quirky set off riffs. Without any of the extra dressing to distract you from the band, there’s a real sense of fun on “Nah Nah,” with the riffs colliding against the vocal riffs in the most frenetic call and response you’ve heard in years.
With a blend of more rustic tones and glowing, cosmic tones that give her music a touch of Hannah Georgas’ sound, Sophie d’Orléans brings a magical power to her indie pop. There’s a spacey feel to “Sans Turbulences” that takes the acoustic vibes somewhere more profound, and lets the love in the centre of the song elevate become an otherworldly powerhouse force. With a more slow and steady drive, “Carrousel” flies on a few simple melodies and a strong woodwind synth hook, letting that galactic undertone enhance the weight of everything around it. “Chocolat” gets a little sultrier in the bass and seductive lyrics, as d’Orléans flies above the instrumentation, and gets lost in the groove of this smooth track. There’s a fun throwback to more mystical 90s tracks in the sonic notes of “Comme le Monde,” with d’Orléans gaining a full ethereal feeling as she blends the starry keys into some lush banjo runs.
Olivia Rodrigo truly exists in a weird duality as a pop star where she has a powerfully unique signature on several fronts, but also falls into a lot of traps of modern pop. Every time Rodrigo breaks into her over-the-top sound, and lets her vocals fly, this album is a revelation, but it’s often surrounded by enough non-distinct ideas that the album as a whole feel more hit or miss than anything else. “Drop Dead” is a dense pop heaven more often than not, with vocals and melodies building on each other so immensely that it becomes almost overpowering if not for some recent familiarity. On that note, this song does suffer from writer Dan Nigro’s own success as it comes off as far too similar in far too many places to Chappell Roan’s music, albeit with more maximalism and lyrical choices that are Rodrigo’s own. Though it does lack a bit of identity in terms of hooks and rhythm, there’s an undeniable power to the raw performance of “Stupid Song,” as Rodrigo is constantly riding an emotional wave and driving this track like it’s her dying grasp to stay on earth. This one feels almost crafted from a live moment, which may be why it doesn’t always land on record, but feels so raw. After a slower build to her stride, “The Cure” finally starts to burst into a soaring feeling as Rodrigo belts along with her synths, and starts to leave orbit as the strings create a flurry of momentum for the track. While it really takes its time getting there, the track is a climactic gem once it gets going. The dirty new wave pop of “Expectations” is a fun surprise on the record that feels like a throwback in the best kind of way, and more importantly, shifts Rodrigo’s approach to something different for the record and her discography as a whole.
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