Pop

Alas de Liona delivers an ode to imperfect love in “19.3”

Alas de Liona starts off her highly praised first album, “Gravity of Gold,” with a track as raw and emotional-laden as the metal it’s dedicated to. “19.3,” a reference to gold’s specific gravity, is a poetic plan of attack for the song’s emotional heft and glittering sheen, as its opening track, “19.3,” vibes out what to expect from a project that’s introspective, soul-stirring and unafraid to probe the messy details of love.

Riding on glittering indie-pop sounds and de Liona’s trademark breathy vocals, “19.3” is like a slow emotional purge. It’s a love song, but not of the rose-tinted variety. This is love bared to the bite, complicated, eternal, and quietly challenging. It’s about not letting go of somebody, even as the reasons to do so begin to pile up. There’s a hurt in the melody, but it’s lovely in the way that only authentic music ever can be.

The production, by Rod Jones at Post Electric Studios in Leith, is unassuming but widescreen. Every piece, from the ethereal keys to the spectral light reverb, feels purposeful and featherlight, creating the cushion that lets de Liona’s voice drift like desert dust on a twilight breeze. You can almost sense her Mojave roots resonating through the track, even as Owens’ creative foundation was reinvented in the ancient streets of Edinburgh, where her inner spirit began to take flight.

Like the gold “19.3” alludes to, it has weight but not flash, substance but not pretense. Unsurprisingly, while the album falls into the hands of an offbeat selection of tastemakers ranging from The Line Of Best Fit to BBC Scotland Radio, its success has been inevitable. With this track, Alas de Liona sets aside a place within indie-pop as she decorates it with emotional honesty and poetic precision.

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Artist Spotlight

Bash Co. examines emotional imprisonment and love on “Dungeon”

Love is often seen as freedom, connection, and emotional release, and in the single “Dungeon,” Bash Co. takes a more complex look at reality, exploring what happens when an emotion becomes a prison. The song has been described as a darker take on “Velvet” and is part of an artistic duality between opposing emotional states. “Dungeon” explores being trapped by feelings that should otherwise bring freedom.

The song tells a story of emotional entrapment, fractured communication, and a broken inner state. Bash Co. examines how difficult it can be to shake attachment and emotional intensity. This picture fits with the song’s theme of pain and imprisonment.

The recording process also unexpectedly influenced the final direction. “Dungeon” was written on an acoustic octave guitar, inspired by a series of technical setbacks that helped Bash Co. hone in on the mood he was seeking. Those struggles could’ve thrown him off his game, but instead he used the experience to get closer to the suffocating character that the song’s lyrical concept demanded.

This is especially relevant to the release’s identity. The emotional side is also offered as a philosophical exploration, not as personal history. “Dungeon” would suit “Velvet” much better, and the two pieces explore the dichotomy between emotional freedom and constraint, providing a wider context for Bash Co.’s creative direction. The two releases are divided by a study of how the same emotional terrain can lead to very different experiences.

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Album Review

Girlhood find clarity in complicated connections with “This Will Make Sense In The End” (album)

Relationships are an emotional contradiction, and Girlhood’s fourth album, “This Will Make Sense In The End,” navigates the contradictions of love, attraction, disappointment, and personal growth. Singer-songwriter Natalie Holmes has delivered a pop album that explores that line between wanting to connect and knowing when to protect yourself.

The album’s ten tracks provide a thoughtful exploration of relationships with food, often as a metaphor for emotional hunger, control, intimacy, and the desire to feel whole. It’s an album that’s about exploring uncomfortable relationship dynamics while keeping personal discovery in sight. It starts with “It Could Be Worse,” and it’s about the exhaustion and bitterness of an unbalanced relationship. It’s about the slow realization that wanting more isn’t unreasonable.

Girlhood

The lead single “Lemon Aid” is an intriguing balance of external playfulness and internal frustration, and it is all the brighter for the emotional pressure. “Picnic” takes a generally happy setting and uses it to explore the negotiations and power dynamics that can lurk just beneath the surface of a relationship. Attraction is also explored on the album, and the difficult area of physical desire as opposed to a real emotional connection.

“Cracked” is about the intoxicating allure of a toxic situationship and owning your confidence and sensuality. “Island to Island” also explores the confusion that can happen when physical chemistry feels like the start of something deeper. “Straight at the Bar” is about wanting to be accepted for who you are, not for who someone else wants you to be. “Silver Lining” touches on both mental and physical health, while “Born Hungry” pays tribute to life’s opportunities and the need to let go of toxic attachments.

Girlhood

The final song, “Wouldn’t Change a Thing,” is reflective, taking the record into a space of self-love, acceptance, and appreciation for one’s past. “This Will Make Sense In The End” is defined by the tension between desire and control. Girlhood is about finding perfect love and learning not to lose yourself in the search.

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