This album starts off with “Wanna Sip”, which certainly has the very uneasy feeling of Fever Ray’s first album. That’s what always drove me to enjoy that album, it was just so dangerous sounding. But I feel like Karin just doesn’t like herself within this atmosphere. This certainly is far from the most solid vocal performance of hers, it’s actually a little awkward. Thankfully, some of the production and the instrumentals are wild and fresh enough to sort of make this a little more passable. But overall, I don’t know why, but I feel like Karin is reaching so hard with “Wanna Sip”. And it certainly doesn’t give me that same feeling I got with the original Fever Ray’s recordings, and that’s a real shame. Thankfully “Mustn’t Hurry” is up next, and it’s exactly where I want to hear Karin. This instrumental is just so uneasy, with these very bizarre synths that sound both retro and futuristic. But overall I just love this very icy and cold feeling in this atmosphere. But the real star here remains Karin, as it should be. She sounds a thousand times more comfortable on this beat. Her performance is still tightly wound and very artsy. But it also just feels like Karin is just being herself, which is something that this album’s intro lacked. And while “Mustn’t Hurry” is still confusing and hard to dive into, it’s catchy enough to stick with you. Also, I love just how haunting these synths are and how pained they come off. But still, it remains catchy, and this is one hell of a tune. Then we have “A Part Of Us”, which is so much more of an accessible track as far as the instrumental goes. It’s still got tons of dark undertones, but this isn’t nearly as artsy or hard to place. The production on this one is a real standout for me, I just love how intense this beat is and how wild the instrumentals come off. Now, if you’re more of a fan of The Knife this is a track you want to hear because it’s certainly the most comparable to The Knife’s work. Karin’s very far out and bizarre performance remains strangely charming though. I really can’t say no to “A Part Of Us” at all. There’s almost an old-school Crystal Castles feel in this very abrasive production. As this album rolls on, Karin continues to sound more and more like herself, and I love to hear it. But I feel like it’s the minimal beats on tracks like “Falling” which really steal the show. It’s in these moments that Karin comes off at her weirdest, but it’s also where she’s most comfortable. I love how intense the production is here and how far out these beats are. But you have to hand it to Karin because these instrumentals are gigantic and a really great example of how great a mind Karin has for this. I’d much rather hear her in this sort of atmosphere, but that’s just me. I just love how alone she sounds and how tiny she comes off within these instrumentals. Not to mention, her vocals come off so much more accessible and easy to analyze in this case. And that isn’t always the case throughout this album, so we have to appreciate that. There are also some seriously personal lyrics from Karin, which is always welcome. So far, this is solid.
Now, while I do enjoy the much more intense and aggressive beat on “IDK About You”, this is where this album begins to falter a little for me. This album continues to be a very kinky album that’s totally comfortable with its sexuality and exploring it. But as much as I think that works with Karin’s music and as intense as these instrumentals get, I really can’t stand her vocal performance here. I mean, I’ve been a fan of Karin’s music for a while, but I can’t remember her vocals ever coming off this obnoxious. The instrumentals and the production do save this one, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. So year, “IDK About You” still works and is far from boring, but Karin really has to watch these vocals. “This Country” is up next, and once again I do really like the much more abrasive production. On the other hand, there’s just too much of this track that I really am not feeling at all. Once again, Karin’s vocals are seriously bizarre, even for her standards. Not to mention, those backing vocals don’t do anyone any favors. Once again there’s a whole lot of kinkiness to this, which Karin is usually very good at handling. But on “This Country it comes off as a little too ridiculous. Not to mention, it just goes on seemingly forever, even though it’s only 3-Minutes long. Sadly, “This Country” goes nowhere and just isn’t a good tune. Thankfully, Karin turns it around with “Plunge” which sounds fantastic right from its intro. I love the very low-key electronic beat being buried by all of these very mysterious and dark instrumentals. It’s got such a decent groove that I really don’t mind that it takes over a minute to get going. When “Plunge” eventually does get going though, man is it good. It has a real groove to it, which is something we haven’t seen that much of here. While this track is completely an instrumental, this is actually one of my favorite tunes here. I love the tight playing on this track and the strong grooves, as well as Karin’s ability to make things very uneasy even though she isn’t present vocally. Then we have “To The Moon And Back”, which is actually one of the most playful tunes here by far. It’s not nearly as dread-inducing, and almost sounds like any plain Indie Pop or Synth Pop tune. But once again, I’m really not feeling Karin’s performance. For me, this one just doesn’t seem as wild or unhinged. It remains really fueled by Sex, and it is pretty damn kinky. But this isn’t as artsy or experimental, and I’ve listened to it tons since it’s release.
Thankfully, Karin really nails the finale of this album with a series of great tunes. “Red Trails” on the other hand is instantly much more bizarre and seriously fascinating. Also, right from its intro this one really gets under your skin, and Karin sounds so dangerous. I love some of the Low-Key World Music elements underneath all of this, and I’d love to hear Karin do more with that. But I think what makes this one stand out is the pacing. It creeps along so slowly and you really never know what you’re going to hear next. That, alongside Karin’s piercing performance, makes “Red Trails” a seriously wild track that comes off so primal. Honestly, this track is everything I loved about her debut with the Fever Ray project, and this is one hell of a tune. Then we have “An Itch”, which once again is a little more lively and certainly a little more playful. But I think Karin’s very tortured and seriously twisted performance on this one takes it down from a casual sort of Synth Pop tune. It’s bizarre and totally out there, but Karin has such a knack for taking things so simple as “a touch” and turning it into something sinister. And that my friends, is what makes a Fever Ray project stand out. You literally get the feeling here that Karin is in grave danger, and you end up fearing for her safety. It’s a wild track, but it really works well for Karin. And if these last few tracks have been unnerving, that goes double for “Mama’s Hand”, which comes off as just plain dark. The beat here is so low-key and hard to place, but it’s incredibly cool and hip. It once again almost has some weird Tribal elements, which is totally refreshing and interesting especially this late in the album. Then we have Karin’s performance here, which is constantly growing and getting more and wilder. It’s an incredibly mysterious track that really makes me just want more of what Karin’s been doing here, and that’s what makes a truly great finale.
Rating: 7.8/10
Give A Listen To: "Mustn't Hurry", "A Part Of Us", "Mama's Hand", "Red Trails"
Genre: Synth Pop / Art Pop / DarkWave / Experimental Pop
Overall Thoughts: This is a pretty solid release from Karin under the Fever Ray name. There are a few moments where I feel like her sound has gotten a little too far out there for me and is a little too hard to place. But for the most part, the material here is very unnerving and twisted. Lyrically, it's an album that refuses to let go of kinky sex stories and Karin's personal life, which works really well for Karen. And while no, I don't think this is as good as her original project under the Fever Ray name, this is still a reminder of just how forward thinking and wild Karin is.
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