Jessy Lanza follows her intuition on Love Hallucination
"Love Hallucination"
Although the songs of her fourth album Love Hallucination were never intended to be released under her own name, Jessy Lanza’s latest album couldn’t feel more personal.
The sultry, romantic sounds built by Lanza as a result, show the songwriter and producer’s ability to create intimacies inseparable from their bludgeoning clubland exterior.
Relocating during the pandemic to California from her home of Hamilton, Ontario to live with her husband and mother-in-law, the change of location allowed for a new headspace for Lanza, one fueled by The Bay area – and the confidence felt by Californian residents. The result was an optimistic, dance-anthem jammed release with a self-hating underbelly.
One of Jessy Lanza’s greatest strengths always has been her airy falsetto register, a recognisable signature for the singer/producer since 2013’s Pull My Hair Back. On this newest outing these same light weight vocals are at the forefront of Lanza’s moody and club focused compositions.
While this isn’t a vocal heavy record, Lanza sprinkles in her lightweight vocal throughout, sometimes whispering, sometimes coughing. Even when sounding the most angelic, these vocals house the album’s darker, introspective moments and balance out the hyperactive instrumentation.
“I Hate Myself” for example is a wonky, slung track. Its laid-back tempo resists the album’s previous energy and feels like breathing room even with its self-loathing lyrical theme. The upbeat feel of the song counteracts the repeated lyrics, like dancing with tears in your eyes.
The eleven-track release never feels as defining however, until “Marathon” with its sexual awakening, spawning from its earliest moments: “I don't rush, and I don't like that position / If I come once, it's not enough. / So, show me you can run it like a marathon.”
Hearing “Drive” Lanza experiments with bass, metallic synth textures and glitches galore over a fast, straight beat. “Big Pink Rose” also glitches like A. G. Cook could well be behind its bubblegum, sugary sweet centre.
Love Hallucination ultimately feels like an artist riding on intuition. There's the 90s house mentioning throughout early birds “Don’t Leave Me Now” and “Midnight Ontario” and the retro walking bass on “Limbo”. This is Jessy Lanza’s proficiency for writing dance floor fillers, and with that sampling pad the 80s feel closer than ever.
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