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8.3/10
The Connecticut-based singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek is known for her vocal ability, and dreamy production style, and is a founder of the indie band Chairlift. Her newest project 'Desire, I Want To Turn Into You' follows her fan-favorite and critically acclaimed album 'Pang' released in 2019. This album took a couple of listens for me to fully immerse myself in it and appreciate it's distinctness. Once it clicked, it clicked very well.
The album opens with Polachek not shying away from displaying her vocal range straight away, with her siren call introducing the track "Welcome To My Island'" I love the synth break especially and just the synths in general on this track; the vocal production is perfect as well. Caroline's brief "rapping" part in the track does feel a bit out of place and awkward to me, however. Other than that, it's a statement of an opener. "Pretty In Possible", however, was underwhelming to me. It's a minimalistic track, and while I do appreciate minimalism here and there, this was a little too minimal for my liking. It doesn't seem to evolve lyrically or instrumentally that much at all. Vocally, however, it's solid. "Bunny Is A Rider" is a fun track with a synth-poppy feel to it; a groovy listen for sure. "Sunset" contains almost Mariachi-sounding strings which I greatly enjoyed, and is a great display of Polachek's vocal ability. "Crude Drawing Of An Angel" is one of the standout tracks on the project, with very ethereal production, stunning vocals, a captivating melody, and tense percussion. "I Believe" is another track with elements of synth-pop, offering up a lively listen; almost Magdalena Bay-like production.
"Fly To You" is a track I have a love-hate relationship with. Grimes opened up the track surprisingly well, I enjoyed the drums, and flawless synths, but felt like it could use some more juice lyrically. I feel like the production made up for it a bit, though. "Blood and Butter" seemed to be many people's favorite track, but to me, it wasn't a standout. I wasn't a fan of the Irish hornpipe break at around three minutes especially; it was pretty off-putting. The electronic/dancey synths were a nice touch, and Polachek's flow & melody were solid. "Hopedrunk Everasking" is the standout track for me. The harmonies are gorgeous, buried synths are a nice touch, and the light humming bass adds a great textural feel. "Butterfly Net" is another hypnotic song, with a wavy, panning synth, and uniquely beautiful drums and the way this track builds is stunning, with the strings coming in. On top of that, the vocal production is very elegant. "Smoke" is a short but sweet track with decadent synths. Finally, the album closes with "Billions", another flawless track with a great melody and stunning youthful choir vocals singing the line "I never felt so close to you".
Polachek obviously takes time on her music, which I feel like a lot of other artists fail to do. With her current formula, she'll continue to release timeless, stylish projects like this one time and time again.
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