Briana Marela’s objective for her fourth album was to create pairs of songs that complemented each other; for every song drowned in ambient experimentalism, there would be a poppy number to sharpen focus. It’s an admirable plan, but the Seattle musician doesn’t quite pull it off.
Her exploration of love and relationships starts well, with the ethereal warble of Be in Love giving way to a crashing, cascading indie-pop beat, while the expansive I'm Sorry shudders with regret and anxiety and Quit radiates turmoil.
But even though Marela references everyone from Björk to Animal Collective, no song is engaging or insistent enough to hold attention, and her haphazard approach often sounds tired and scattered. It may aptly summarise an unravelling relationship, but it doesn’t make for a particularly enjoyable album.
