Take some time out, put on the headphones, drop the needle on the record, or queue up the latest releases on your phone.
Here’s four recently released albums that we’ve been playing at OUTinPerth HQ, new records from Adam Lambert, Baby Smith, Joalin, and Kelela.
Adam Lambert
ADAM
★ ★ ★
On his sixth album, Adam Lambert sings about the grey areas: the space between hope and despair, the middle ground between the past and the future. He brings a sound to match — simultaneously retro and futuristic.
The album opens with a pair of tracks drenched in sleek, dark electronica, RAT CITY and NECKLACE. Single EAT U ALIVE begins with a slow acoustic introduction before quickly returning listeners to pulsating electronic production, anchored by Lambert’s soaring vocals. The journey through industrial dance music continues with the crushing beats of PORCELAIN, while SANITY allows Lambert’s voice to take centre stage.
As the album progresses, it brightens and returns to the glam-pop that has defined much of Lambert’s career to date. CLOUD 9, the latest single, is one of the album’s poppiest moments, alongside UNDER THE RHYTHM, which interpolates the melody from ATC’s 2000 hit Around the World (La La La La La). Several more pop-leaning tracks follow before the closing track, DO YA SEE ME NOW, returns to the darker industrial sound.
Some of the songs here would sit comfortably alongside the sound of Lady Gaga’s most recent album. It’s great to see Lambert exploring new sonic territories but it delivers mixed results.
Baby Smith
Lately, Love is Dead
★ ★ ★ ★
Baby Smith are a duo made up of Australian couple Ray Sonder and Saxon Gable. Based in Berlin, they create sunshine-tinged, delightful psych-pop. On their debut album, they deliver 10 stunning tracks that showcase their distinctive sound.
Limoncello River is the song that has been picked up by indie radio stations, and its mix of indie guitars, vocal harmonies, swirling symphonic flourishes, flutes and a driving beat encapsulates the band’s style. Adored opens the album with crunchy guitars, cowbells and layered vocals. Walkie Talkie begins with ’80s-style synths and takes a more laid-back approach, becoming instantly sing-along by the time the chorus arrives.
The tracks are short and sweet, with the longest clocking in at just over four minutes, and each tune flows effortlessly into the next. Golden is another song in a similar vein to the opening tracks, but things get deeper with All I Do, which even hints at country influences. Take It Or Leave It brings in heavier guitar sounds, but they’re balanced by the charming vocals and chirpy keyboards. The title track floats along with lyrics about staring at clouds and diving into someone’s eyes, while Don’t Look Down introduces a bossa nova rhythm.
This is a charming record – the perfect soundtrack for summer days, daydreaming, and falling in and out of love.
Joalin
Perspectiva
★ ★ ★ ★
Joalin was born in Turku, in south-west Finland, but spent most of her childhood in Spain and Mexico. She was part of the short-lived girl group Now United before launching her solo career.
On her second EP, Perspectiva, she delivers five first-rate tracks, opening with User3579Z, which is performed in multiple languages. It has an addictive beat that suddenly gives way to a blissful interlude before returning with renewed energy. Toke is a reggaeton number that clocks in at just 94 seconds, but it does its job and quickly moves on to the next sound. Transportando Valencia builds to an explosive chorus before morphing into an uplifting, throbbing crescendo. On a Day Like This is more laid-back than the other songs on the EP and sounds a little like a Rihanna track. We sign off with Estrella, which once again sees Joalin singing in multiple languages. The song begins as a gentle jam before drifting into a blissed-out section and then accelerating towards a dynamic conclusion — you never quite know what’s coming next.
Joalin is certainly one to watch. In the meantime, check out her previous EP, Camaleón, which was released last year.
Kelela
new avatar
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Kelela has been praised for her ability to blend R&B with a wide range of musical influences, from dance beats to ambient soundscapes. On her third album, she also incorporates elements of alternative rock, neo-soul and shoegaze, creating an intriguing mix.
Album opener idea 1 begins with a repetitive melody and Kelela’s warm vocals, but one minute into the track a wall of indie guitar crashes in, letting us know to expect the unexpected on this journey. point blank, one of the singles released ahead of the album, is filled with Art of Noise-style stabs, a drum ‘n’ bass beat and soulful vocals. Next comes going down, which continues the fusion of rock sounds, electronic beats and warm vocals, while the intriguing juxtaposition of styles continues on outta time.
After some more laid-back tracks, things pick up with linknb, which is filled with pounding drums, complex layered vocal harmonies and, buried deep in the mix, a rapid-fire rap. As we move into the final third of the album, electronic sounds become more prominent on tracks such as don’t piss me off and the PinkPantheress duet the bridge. At its core, Kelela’s music is rooted in R&B and neo-soul, but she draws on so many different influences that she has created a sound that is unmistakably her own.
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