Aldous Harding
Party

This girl, in my opinion, has truly incredible talent. After a convincing debut in 2014, with this second LP titled 'Party' and released on Flying Nun Records and 4AD, she not only confirms the promise she showed in her first record, but does even more by releasing an album of rare sensitivity, showcasing both her great qualities as a vocalist and performer along with those as a songwriter.

Often compared to Marissa Nadler or Joanna Newsom, the eternal Vashti Bunyan, and adored by pop star Lorde, who has called her 'the best musician around', the New Zealander Aldous Harding collaborates on this occasion with a top producer and musician like John Parish, as well as with one of the most appreciated local musicians, Enrico Gabrielli.

The result is 'Party', an astonishing album where it's truly difficult to find any weak points.

The album alternates between more minimalist songs and episodes like the introductory 'Blend'; 'Living The Classics' and 'What If Birds', songs characterized by a rarefied yet evocative sound reflecting a certain 1960s psychedelia; 'I'm So Sorry', where she displays notable and distinctive chanteuse qualities, likely having fun playing with her voice.

Her vocal qualities are particularly striking in 'Imagining My Man', expressing a singer-songwriter style already mature and self-aware for an artist still very young (born in 1990) and concluding with a spectacular brass arrangement, as well as in the melancholic title track 'Party', in 'Horizon', or in the concluding piano song 'The World Is Looking'.

Particularly characteristic is the use of choirs, present in most of the songs and combined with what can be described as a certain expressive flexibility of Hanna (Aldous Harding's real name), creating an experimental component that might attract those curious even if not typically inclined to listen to this type of music.