Low Island, If You Could Have It All Again
Emotional Interference
Low Island have provided a veritable feast of woozy electro-pop sounds on their debut album If You Could Have It All Again. It’s a debut that’s ambitious, nuanced, at times a little weird, but most of all remarkably polished – Low Island know their own sound, they know how to mix it up, and they also know how to push its boundaries.
It’s a silky blend of dance beats, reflective synth moments, glassy bass melodies and the vocals that occasionally float to the surface to remind us that Low Island are weaving more than just a soundscape, they’re delving into evocative storytelling as well. IYCHIAA thematically deals with navigating young adulthood, and Low Island ruminate both through their lyrics and their music – the voice becomes an instrument, a vehicle for thoughts and atmosphere to take centre stage. We’re taken on a tour of electro beats and synth-driven anthems all the way to reflective acoustic ambience, woven together into an expert musical narrative.
Low Island hint at their emotional depth constantly throughout the record, but exercise restraint that’s almost painful – In Your Arms feels painstakingly vulnerable as it opens with a sole acoustic guitar and vocals, but it dissolves into pulsing synths, just veiling the vocals. Similarly, I Do It For You nestles confessional, naturalistic lyrics in a moody groove of a tune, echoing its message around without feeling too vulnerable. But the intricacies of Low Island’s instrumentation leaves space for vulnerability to remain unspoken, though. Momentary is delicate, ethereally mirroring the vocal lines; Don’t Let The Light In (Reprise) mirrors what’s possibly the record’s biggest banger with room to reflect and come back down.
The emotional power of If You Could Have It All Again culminates in closer and album highlight What The Hell (are you gonna do now?). The final track is almost painful in how good it is – after totally losing yourself in the semi-psychedelic dreamworld of sound that’s made up the rest of the album, sometimes groovy, sometimes moody, Low Island pop up with a closer that feels understatedly gorgeous.
Their intricately crafted bops are hypnotic, commanding energy – for every track that’s a euphoric, otherworldly dancefloor, there’s another that feels like the wonderful contentment of sitting down after the night out and watching the sun rise.
If You Could Have It All Again is out this Friday.
