Louder, Please - Rose Gray /// Album Review

Louder, Please - Rose Gray

A gleaming mirage of sun reflecting off a shiny blue two seat Pontiac. A summer night breeze that almost lifts you off the ground. A blanket of dew shining off your body as you step out of a pool. All of these little sensations come to mind for me when listening to Rose Gray's debut album, Louder, Please.

As we begin to enjoy warmer weather, slowly but surely, it's a perfect time to think on what this summer will sound like. Louder, Please is it. The UK based pop newcomer crafts a summer fantasia enmeshed in sweet melodic synths, thumping beats, and artisan vocals.

/// The First Bite, Mid-July, On The Radio

"Damn." The opening track crashes in with a buzzing drum and bass romper. A frenzied energy that only compares to being pent up in your house during months of polar vortexes (feel familiar?). The contrast in sound between this track and the rest of the album is worth noting. The synths are distorted. The vocals are pitched up. The bass line is wide and thumping in your chest. It's energy begging for release. Begging for open air.

Gray then opens the door to summer. I would describe the next run of songs as "perfectly poolside." "Free" is a glossy anthem, with playful plucky synths twinkling underneath Gray's lucid contemplation of values. The chorus erupts like a symphony with beautiful saw synths. Gray's contrast of spoken rhythm and belting highlight this expansive love she wants to feel.

It's important to highlight Gray's ability to, sonically, build a bright summer-induced dream while writing detailed captures of her experiences. Lists of her cherished "free" things remind us of the hope and splendor those first warm days of the year have.

The album moves through "Wet & Wild" and "Just Two" - both sugary house beats about the rush of new found love. "Wet & Wild"utilizes a fast paced meter to evoke the danger and stimulation. "Just Two"'s classic house structure and higher melody brings euphoria.

/// Can't Escape My Mind

The next section of the album presents as both sides of a dream. "Tectonic," with its mid-tempo summer house drive, places you into yearning. Gray's vocal delivery is mystifying. Soaring through her vocal mix to create lucid pining.

Keeping in the same motion, "Party People" is a glittery Cinderella story under the lights. "Angel of Satisfaction" serves an apocalyptic dance anthem. Gray's vocal performance here has the sensuality and danger of Kylie Minogue. It's a spectacular contrast from the previous tracks with it's rolling bass line, operatic breakdown, and ascending chorus. A fierce display of Gray's construction skills and more imaginative songwriting capabilities.

"Switch" is an album highlight. With an illustrious and sultry delivery from Gray, her already vulnerable sounding timbre is specifically well captured on this track. The movement of the melodic line hits the ear like fizzy candy.

"Switch" being the trigger word to start actual melodic movement works so well. Glitchy falling synths provide a fun hand off for the breakdown that release all this tension Gray is carrying. As the production falls out at the end we are left with Gray and a piano track. A somber moment allowing us to peer through a keyhole as Gray steps out of her 2AM fantasies into what this budding summer love is.

/// In A Different World

"Hackney Wick," a diary entry, kicks off the reflective part of our summer saga. Gray strips back all metaphor here. Stammering synths practically evoke the hum of street lights as Gray's rhythmic prose takes you on an epic night of love and dancing in summertime London.

"First" is a cheeky and suave track picking up the pace. A gritty arp bass rumbles as Gray delivers high whimsy, questioning the intentions of her lovers fling.

"Everything Changes (But I Won't)" brings us closest to home. Light stuttering plucks are on the nose as we hear Gray plea to keep this momentary bliss she's found. Repetition and lists of all she can provide match the energy of early August slump as mid-summer dreams begin to fade. The title track, "Louder, Please" delivers an orchestral fever dream. Stacked vocoded harmonies get ripped apart between a hi-hat and kick drum. Swelling amongst building strings you can feel the summer fantasy dissolve into memory as the album finishes into a driving beat. Drum and Bass. Exactly where we started. But with beautiful memory painted onto it.

/// Final Thoughts

A fantasy becomes tangible in the details. Louder, Please is example of this. Gray's laser focused writing will bring out memories you have not made yet. Interlaced with dazzling production, all shines bright in the pursuit of hot, tantalizing, love.

It doesn't need to be 80 degrees outside to feel the bubbling energy of June when you can listen to "Wet & Wild" or "First." You can already be there. You can find love now. You can dance and kiss a stranger while the snow is melting around your feet. You can enjoy the "free" things in life at this very moment. It's waiting for you.