Indigo de Souza, Any Shape You Take
Saddle Creek
In the alt-pop renaissance that’s thriving across the music world, it’s hard to understand why Indigo de Souza isn’t already on the level of Phoebe Bridgers et al. Her heartfelt lyricism and hypnotically intense delivery made her debut album I Love My Mom a forerunner for the kind of moody-punk-pop that’s dominating the scene at the moment, and Indigo has returned on sophomore release Any Shape You Take to take her rightful crown. It’s in the same sonic vein as I Love My Mom, but feels more deliberate – still introspective, still intimate, but perhaps more aware that everyone is listening.
With that in mind, Any Shape You Take ticks every possible box – understated vocals that sneak up on you and stun, shoegaze-pop guitars, introspective lyricism that draws a gorgeous veil over simple situations – she’s just altogether magic. Any Shape You Take feels like a meeting of the souls between Jealous of the Birds, SZA and Best Coast, taking the dreamiest bits of each and twisting them up with Indigo’s unique vocal delivery. It’s ethereal – there’s no other word for it. Opener 17 is a quieter cut, but introduces the vulnerability that characterises her delivery from the mesmerising murmurs to the explosions of raw, almost punky feverishness we hear on cuts like lead single Kill Me.
It would be easy to forget that Indigo can turn the volume up when she needs to, because she’s so captivating when she’s taking it slower, but Any Shape You Take’s energy certainly gets to powerful levels. We don’t need to go hard and fast, Indigo concentrates in with depth and texture. Her control is immense and gripping start to finish. Kill Me is the album’s climax, closing it off on a high note, but Indigo hints at what she’s building to numerous times across Any Shape You Take: Bad Dream’s grungey opening, the easy-yet-impassioned vocals blossoming towards the end of Die/Cry, to name but a couple, but it’s hard to pin down, because it’s subtle and constant. It would be easy to call Any Shape You Take a laidback album, but there’s something about it that doesn’t quite fit that label – it may be quiet, but it’s still intense.
Any Shape You Take, described by Indigo as a ‘companion piece’ to I Love My Mom, does exactly what it’s supposed to – continues to establish her oh-so-close-to-home style in a way that continues to feel almost too close. Not just in her lyricism, but in her knack for creating a musical atmosphere, you really get the sense that we’re inside her head – and it’s a beautiful place to be, even when it’s painful. It’s unmistakeably real.
Any Shape You Take is out this Friday.
