"Desire, I Want To Turn Into You" By Caroline Polachek
There’s few on this planet who can weave such eclectic influences as seamlessly into a pop song as Caroline Polachek does. The New Yorker and former opera singer released her second solo-album on Valentine’s Day aptly weaving the new collection of songs around desire. Polachek rose to prominence first as one-half of Indie-pop group Chairlift, but chose to strike it out alone while delving into her connections with the PC Music crowd. Her first album, “Pang,” melded ambient, electronic, and pop influences with her remarkable vocal agility, clearly striking a chord with music fans and critics alike. Since that 2019 debut, Polachek has released a steady drip of singles and collaborations on songs with other artists such as fellow indie darlings Heloise Letissier of Christine and the Queens, and Charli XCX. Some of those aforementioned singles made it onto Desire, I Want To Turn Into You: the playful “Bunny is a Rider,” the flamenco inspired “Sunset,” and album closer “Billions” will be familiar to big fans of the artist.
Album opener, “Welcome to my Island'' immediately transports the listener to another place. Polachek’s wailing, stratospheric vocals paired with the borderline cheesy 80s guitar riffs give the track a sense of scale that is truly massive. Throughout the track, Polachek chants “hey, hey, hey” as the listener is treated to percussive electronic beats and a declaration on the part of Polachek that she wishes to turn into desire. There is a real sense that Polachek wishes to rid herself of her earthly body, shed it all and be at one with her wants. Polachek soars into the upper reaches of her vast falsetto, one of the strongest weapons in her artistic arsenal. This track also features a version of talk-singing/quasi-rapping that will be sprinkled throughout the following songs. The second track “Pretty in Possible” is a mellower tune anchored by Polachek’s repeated “da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da'' that glides across the composition. The loops, electronic elements and percussion conjure an Imogen Heap-esque experience that Caroline makes her own. Next is album single “Bunny is a Rider” a simple, playful song that incorporates sounds and rhythms out of left field with clever, if a bit confusing, lyrics.
Another single off the album is the next track “Sunset” which uses Latin-music influences to tell a tale of bodily discomfort and the power of fulfilling love. The song is packaged so tightly rhythmically that it mirrors the discomfort of its protagonist, and only once Polachek’s pristine falsetto comes in that the song soars and breaks free from its initially rushed pace. “Crude Drawing of an Angel,” fittingly considering the title, is one of the sparsest productions on the album. It also marks a shift in the album to a darker tone, with images turning from island paradises and sunsets to blood and vultures. The theme of bodily dissatisfaction continues as Polachek fantasizes of roughly holding an angel down on the ground. Polachek speaks rather cryptically throughout the song, “Camera 1, Camera 2” as if her, or the listener, is being watched. The next song, “I Believe” continues with dark imagery, but seems to come to a hopeful resolution with Polachek ultimately defiantly declaring her belief in a violent type of love. “Look over the edge, but not too far” she says as a warning repeatedly.
Kicking off the second half of the album, “Fly to You” features Grimes and Dido with each bringing their own artistic energy to a track that fuses remarkably well. Grimes’ breathy vocals and clipped phrasing over the skittering beat at the beginning give way to the buttery falsetto of Polachek. The second verse features Dido’s calming, hypnotic, almost haunting vocals that work in tandem with the previous two artists beautifully.
“Blood and Butter” comes next, with Polachek introducing acoustic guitar into the production mix, further proving her versatility in sound as her lyrics explore mythological and religious imagery and themes. “Hopedrunk Everasking” features existential lyrics, as Polachek digs deeper and deeper into the human experience and psyche, addressing the transient nature of being alive in the most Pang-like ambient track on this album.
“Butterfly Net” features more acoustic and otherwise non-electronic production as Polachek pens a rapturous pop ballad. The organic sound generates a truly beautiful effect as Polachek wistfully sings of her futile effort to catch the light her lover generates with a butterfly net. “Smoke” is more percussive as Polachek explores the more explosive metaphor of volcanoes to describe her experience of desire, the theme which holds these songs together.
Album closer, “Billions,” is the final single of the album as Polachek meditates on the plentiful, closing with a children’s choir singing “I never felt so close to you.” After all, any other phrase couldn’t hit exactly on the power of desire so well.
-Evan Manley