Låpsley
Through Water
XL
Listen Below
Låpsley first came to my attention back in 2016 when a friend of mine sent me a song of hers titled “Operator” from her debut album Long Way Home. Anyone that successfully samples the legendary a cappella group The Manhattan Transfer and then manages to incorporate it into a beautiful song, certainly has my attention. Låpsley’s soulful tone and mysterious, almost ethereal sound is one that has truly resonated with me ever since and to be honest, I haven’t stopped playing her music.
Obviously it would then come as zero surprise to know that I was beyond words when I found out that a new album, Through Water, was slated for release in early 2020. On first listen, I was alerted to a new, more confident tone in Låpsley’s voice. A self-assurance has now taken over and the broken relationships and internal hurt that permeated through Long Way Home appear to have taken a back seat.
Given the state of the world at the moment, this album breathes life into the doom and gloom that faces us from the other side of the glass. Opening with the album’s namesake, Låpsley dives straight into the climate crisis theme. Electro beats circle the singer’s vocals as she reads a speech given by her father who also happens to be a water engineer in sustainability. An eco-friendly song with substance and facts, a new level of pop music was just created.
“First” sees her vocals merge with dancehall to create a truly delicious vibe, with the two working in perfect harmony together. The melancholy “Ligne 3,” named after a Paris tram line, touches on the aftermath of a traumatic breakup. The beauty of this song is in its pain, the minimalist piano and synths encapsulate Låpsley’s voice providing an almost unbearable feeling of loneliness that all of us have succumbed to at some point in our lives.
Like her previous album, Låpsley wrote and produced most of Through Water too. There is a depth and darkness to her lyrics that straddles a certain type of sharpness, and yet at the same time a vulnerability that leaves her open to the listener. This is evident on “Our Love Is A Garden,” an homage to the ‘80s and her obsession with the Brit record label 4AD (Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coin) that represented this sound.
“Womxn” is the lead single and one of the strongest tracks on this album and incidentally was the first track written for the album. As she confides to Apple Music, the song examines “how much I've changed and how that comes from a place of acceptance.” The album is rounded out by the beautiful “Bonfire,” a song about the complications that come with accommodating someone who can’t embrace change.
But perhaps the most poignant piece on this album is its closing number, “Speaking Of The End.” Låpsley’s voice takes center stage on the ballad, along with a piano to create a heartfelt song that signals the end of one relationship, and making way for the birth of another. As the singer explains, “It’s also (about) the end of childhood and the start of adulthood. It’s kind of dark and light at the same time.”
As its title suggests, Låpsley’s second long player ventures into deep waters. Passing through the metaphors of darkness and into the light, Låpsley has shown a certain maturity that this sophomore offering so rightly deserves. It is an organic continuation of her debut that leaves the listener with a sense of fulfillment, coupled with excitement of what is to come next from the rare artistry Låpsley so exquisitely embodies.
Notable Tracks: “Ligne 3” | “Our Love Is A Garden” | “Speaking Of The End” | “Womxn”
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