Caroline Polachek
Pang

Finally the long-awaited (fake) debut of Caroline Polachek has arrived. Fake because Caroline has an almost decade-long career: after her past experiences with the intriguing Chairlift and the side-project Ramona-Lisa, she finally releases the first album under her real name.

Caroline opens the gate (the first track is literally called “The Gate”) to her world and invites us into a cybernetic space, made of light electronics and emotional storytelling. Many industry professionals have dubbed this handful of tracks as pop of the future or futuristic pop. Strangely enough, the labels tagged by the press aren't that far from reality.

We are faced with an electronic pop album with solid writing at its core. The fact that the pieces represent classy pop is confirmed by the acoustic versions (available on YouTube), which bring these fragile compositions closer to those of sacred monsters of the past such as Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos (with the appropriate space-time distances).

Caroline Polachek shows us a dark and digital universe, where the voice, besides being an important tool of expression, is a true musical instrument. Oblique choruses that slice through the air like slashing swords (the refrain of “Pang” is a brilliant example), siren-like high notes reminiscent of the peaks explored by other great singer-songwriters (listen to “Ocean of Tears” to understand what I mean), or the simple vocal psychedelia accompanied by dark synths of “Insomnia” demonstrate a powerful and malleable voice (some tracks require real vocal acrobatics).

The sound catapults us into an era yet to come (post coronavirus, post glacier melting, where we are part human, part machine). The gentle beats are well-crafted, and every insert (vocal and/or electronic) is meticulously thought out (this album should be listened to strictly with headphones, although the vinyl also has its appeal). Each listen reveals new details to appreciate (a vocalization that serves as an accompaniment, a high note that fades into the underlying electronics). The central texture of all the pieces consists of synths and beats to which the singer enjoys adding various instruments (such as the electro-country guitar in “New Normal” or the piano in the sweet “Look at Me Now” and “Go As a Dream”).

While the overall assessment of this debut is positive, more could have been done. First of all, the tracklist features some songs that clash with the electronic and dark atmosphere of the entire project. “New Normal” and “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” are well-crafted pop pieces, but they break the pathos that permeates the entire album and could have been released as standalone singles. Moreover, some songs seem underdeveloped (all tracks remain around three minutes, except for “Door” which comfortably surpasses five minutes), and in some cases, the instrumental part is so interesting that it would have deserved “solo solos” (almost entirely absent).

Caroline Polachek has great talent and intelligence, and if in the future she is able to reconcile her pop soul with her more experimental side (as happens at the peaks of this record), she will be one to watch closely.