Home
Any Human Friend
Loading Inventory...
Barnes and Noble
Any Human Friend
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Any Human Friend
Current price: $13.99
Loading Inventory...
Size: CD
*Product Information may vary - to confirm product availability, pricing, and additional information please contact Barnes and Noble
Ever since
picked up a Stratocaster and discovered he liked things loud and chaotic in 1965, there has been a long, rich tradition of acoustic-oriented artists deciding a bigger and bolder sound might better serve their message, and
confirms this phenomenon isn't dead by a long shot.
was a breathy-voiced nu-folkie on her first two albums (2013's
and 2015's
), but she picked up a band, beefed up the arrangements, and started speaking up on 2017's
. She moves even further away from her starting point with 2019's
. While
suggested
had belatedly discovered indie rock,
plays like her hip pop move, with plenty of keyboards and drum machines holding down the backing tracks and
layering glossy harmonies around her vocals. There are guitars here, but they mostly serve as texture while the warm but clean electronic textures carry
's melodies and make room for the lyrics.
sounds sleeker and more polished than
's previous releases, but at the same time it takes the playfully libidinous tone of
and cranks it up a few levels. These songs leave no doubt that
is a big fan of sex and pleasure, even if they can turn out to be problematic, and there's something quietly disarming in the unguarded way she sings about her needs (and the degrees to which they're being met, with "Hand Solo" revealing she's willing to take responsibility for her own orgasm if push comes to shove). In 2019 it isn't especially novel that
prefers women to men, but her willingness to explain just what she wants and why she wants it on tunes like "All Night" and "The One" still feels refreshing, witty, and honest, not shocking for their own sake but compelling in her willingness to share without grandstanding. Which may have a lot to do with why
chose to match these lyrics with a more passionate and engaging sound on
-- if you want to get what you want, you have to be sure that you're heard. ~ Mark Deming