This album starts off with “Be In Love”, and it’s certainly a very whimsical and beautiful start. As far as production and atmosphere goes, this is actually seriously top notch. Not to mention, Brian’s very sweet vocals have come such a long way in the last few years. But most importantly, there are no gimmicks in sight. This is just a really sweet, enjoyable, indie pop tune. There are just enough electronic elements to give it the usual Brian Marela flair, and when that pulsating heavy beat comes in things really aren’t that bad. Hell, even some of Briana’s more experimental passages here come off much more interesting than they usually are. This may be, as far as a single goes, the most catchy and straightforward track she’s touched so far. So hell yeah, “Be In Love” works for me big time. Then we have “Give Me Your Love”, which is a completely different animal. This actually in a weird way reminds me of some of the material that would have shown up on that last Passion pit album. It’s almost a slow jam in a way, with a whole lot of pretty out there quirks. But overall, this is once again pretty damn sweet. I mean, there isn’t a lot on that’s genre defining. But Briana is coming out of her shell as a song writer and is becoming a real musical personality, which is fantastic. Plus, I feel like she’s really honing in on that sound that people can actually identify her with. It’s sweet, it’s charming, and it’s actually pretty damn adorable. So far, this album hasn’t been bad at all. But Briana shows us very quickly that she’s still got her heart set on making more experimental music with “I’m Sorry”. This one has a lot of the same qualities as the first two tracks here. But to be honest, I just don’t get nearly the same sense from this one. The opening tracks showed Briana really honing in on her sound and making it her own. But this one is honestly just a whole big mess. I almost feel like on “I’m Sorry” that Briana wrote a straight up Pop tune and then went out of her way to make it as weird as she possibly could. But it doesn’t sound experimental, it just comes off as clashing. Some of the drums on this one are just so sloppy and to be honest really take way too much away from Briana’s performance. As far as vocals go, Briana certainly sounds strong and all. But as far as some great “statement” goes, this is far from it. Then we have “He Knows”, which might just be the closest thing to a ballad that Briana’s ever touched. But honestly, I seriously feel like this sound just doesn’t work with her at all. This one is so much more quaint and sweet, but it ends up coming off like it could have been any Indie Pop duo trying to break free from making Indie Dance. Not only that, but sadly Briana sounds completely soulless. For a track that’s supposed to be this big beautiful ballad, there are almost no emotions on display. Once again, I honestly feel like Briana recorded this track and then recorded the vocals completely separately. The disconnect makes “He Knows” pretty sloppy.
As this album rolls on, Briana shows just how hard of a time she has remaining consistent. “Quit” on the other hand, is actually REALLY cool. I love the thick, dark atmosphere on this one with Briana’s tiny voice seemingly trapped within. The production on this one is actually sort of edgy as well, which is something she’s always sort of toyed with but has had issues with making it come off well. On “Quit” however, it sounds great. As far as a really unique track goes, this is actually seriously stunning. The beat is off kilter, and there are just enough pop elements to keep this one catchy. The dreary tone to this one drives this one home for me though, with some of the vocal effects floating through the background mirroring Briana being a great addition. Now, by this point, I feel like Briana’s main issue is that overall she really doesn’t know what direction to go in. Like, hearing “Feel What I Feel”, I honestly can’t believe this is the same artist. It’s certainly sweet and I actually love Briana’s vocals a lot, as well as some of her very longing melodies. But outside of that, I don’t think I could have picked this out of a line of Indie Pop artists if I had to. “Feel What I Feel” is just so one dimensional. And while some might dig this one a whole lot more than me, it’s not for me. Especially after just how edgy and dark that last track was. Briana up next takes a hard left turn into some more experimental territory with “Last Time”. But sadly, this one doesn’t come off nearly as interesting. To be honest, this one just comes off seriously boring. It’s just so damn airy and ethereal, which is stuff that I usually love. But to be honest, this is a little TOO airy and ethereal for me. Most of this track’s weakness comes in the instrumental, which literally doesn’t hold up at all. I don’t think I could have told you a single musical moment from “Last Time” if I had to. Now to be honest, “Call It Love” is the sort of Spacey Alternative R&B that I think is a great sound for Briana. I love the whimsical beat on this one as well as Briana’s much colder vocals. This sort of futuristic pop overall just really works unbelievably for Briana. It has so many of the sweet pop moments that we saw earlier, but with the much more synthetic sound of the instrumental, I’m just so much more interested. It’s bouncy, it’s sweet and just experimental enough to set this apart from other Indie Pop tunes here.
Then we have “Farthest Shore”, one of the more experimental tunes here. But honestly, this one is actually incredible. I love a whole lot of the small details and production tricks that make this one really stand out as one of the weirder tunes here. But with this very surreal and hazy atmosphere, everything ends up popping wonderfully. I also love Briana’s strange lyrics and cloudy performance. For THIS sound, I feel like “Farthest Shore” is Briana’s swan song and another great direction for her to tackle in the future. But just when I think Briana’s gonna end this album off on a high note we get “Rise” which is an honest to God attempt at a chamber pop tune. But oh my lord, it may just be the most cringe-worthy track on the entire album. Briana’s vocals are just so average here, and the atmosphere is so lopsided throughout. Once again, there’s a massive disconnect here that I can’t wrap my head around. And for almost 6 minutes we have to put up with it. “Rise” doesn’t get any more interesting, and nothing ends up saving it either. Sadly, “Rise” is not a good finale.
Rating: 6.7/10
Give A Listen To: “Be In Love”, “Give Me Your Love”, “Quit”, “Furthest Shore”
Overall Thoughts: I have just about one word to sum this album up, and that's "Inconsistent". This is like, Briana's third or fourth album, but I still have issue with deciphering her distinct sound. Now, there are some really great sounds on here that certainly show Briana moving in a great direction. To be honest, I think the more Synthetic Pop sound is where she's starting to shine, or atleast it's coming off better than her ballads. Overall, yea this is just ok. But I think Briana's on to something, and I'm interested in seeing what she does next.
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