audry – Kitsch and the Foible
Kitsch and the Foible
audry
October 7, 2024
Time after time, artists and creators strive to recreate or interpret the concept of love. That feeling that holds almost everyone captivated, in the throes of it or searching for someone to share it with. Our fascination is so much so that the number of cliche reference points to love in the modern day is staggering: the atmosphere of a dimly lit apartment, the aroma of bottles of luxurious alcohol, the slow lapping water of a heated bath. We see all of these things and many more in ANGELWAVE.
The listener plays witness to two lonely romantics as they embark on a night of pure passion. We start with wistful feelings of desire soothed with a warmed up instrumental and smooth vocals. A moment of lonely contemplation, a longing to be with another. From there, we watch as the two souls step out into the excitement of a nightclub, the casting off of their loneliness accompanied by optimistic and fun disco samples.
The two star-crossed lovers finally meet over drinks and drugs as the samples become more chopped up and frantic in the excitement. As we traverse the album, we find that everything approaches or comments on that idealistic notion of a chance meeting of love. No matter what stage our characters are at, love is what is on their mind and this is feels like a commentary on the obsessive subject matter of most mainstream music. On PARADISE, we do not simply imagine a beautiful island, but a getaway with a loved one. On DRINKS WITH U, they are not just drinking, but taking sips together. Each and every instrumental features romantic piano trills or light, airy instrumentation, further conveying this rose-tinted feeling of amore. We are even paid a visit by the ultimate Lothario himself, Craig David. ANGELFVCE rearranges his tale of stolen love and lust as it echoes through the tiled bathroom as the two characters make themselves comfortable.
Things get a little more austere as they begin to embrace. The songs becoming more euphoric as they hold each other close. Even this very personal moment between two people isn’t protected from the cliches of pop songs, but ANGELFVCE does an incredible job of switching the atmosphere to one a little more personal and lustful. Though lewd, this moment seems to unlock a pathway to something far greater. The album concludes with a great light shining down in the form of sun-kissed choirs and strings. Halcyonic melodies push through pearly white clouds, as this night of love seems to act as a key, unlocking a gateway to a more permanent state of bliss.
ANGELFVCE‘s 2020 release covers a great deal of ground in its 10-track duration. The subject of love is one permanently expanding and unfolding as humans progress through life. But with the precise application of a romantic pop sound and references to signals and situations that people collectively associate with love, ANGELWAVE is an album indebted to that perennially interesting bond that people can share.