RELEASED 12TH JULY 2019

Favourite Track: Propaganda

I think she has captured the turbulent state of mind and heart in an album with stunning vocals and strong instrumentals and beats that are so varied you want to carry on listening

Although I hadn’t heard of Alternative Pop/RnB artist, BANKS, I liked the sound of her album III simply because it sounded like an unusual thing to name an album. The cover art shows her in a red dress, barefoot on the floor posing and looking straight at you. There’s something raw about this which suggests to me that her music might also be a raw exploration of emotion. I’m a big fan of RnB music and like the idea of Alternative Pop because it tends to produced and composed really well typically. It often incorporates multiple genres of music in one and I think that’s where the trend in music is going this year. I mean just look at Tyler, The Creator or Ed Sheeran’s new albums.

‘Till Now’ is a strange song with delicate vocals accompanied by chopped up vocals in the background and the sound of thunder or a crackling in the background which builds up with more echo-y vocals and synths that make it very intense. It’s almost like we’re in the midst of a storm hearing this song. It’s quite defiant song about how she doesn’t want to carry on letting whoever it is push her around more. I love the beat and synth bass to ‘Gimme’. It’s got ATTACK and then has a Justin Timberlake ‘My Love’ edge to it in the chorus with the strings and then HEAVY bass lines. If you’re looking for something atmospheric with some piano, ‘Contaminated’ is the song for you. The vocals are dual and distorted but still remain sharp and cutting which I find displays her vulnerability but also her strength.

‘Sawzall’ is a chill experience with a nice acoustic plucked guitar and then gorgeous magical synths partnered with her voice. ‘Look What You’re Doing To Me’ (featuring Francis and the Lights) is probably one of the more commercial sounding ones but the beat is great and it’s another powerful tune. ‘Hawaiian Mazes’ gave me a real SZA feel. It has a proper RnB sound to it and sounds so beautiful and intricate. ‘Propaganda’ is one catchy song. The chorus to it is brilliant and it is another one that is musically complicated but shows her raw emotions in her lyrics. You can dance to this for sure. The final song on the album ‘What About Love’ has warm piano openings and vocal acrobatics and riffs galore. It’s a sad love song with strings that make it so romantic and heartfelt. Her vocals in this express so much that you can’t help but HEAR her story which I think is something so many artists try to project but not all manage to. She has.    

Every song is different and fucking gorgeous. I would listen to this album if I was chilling on a train or bus just to be in the zone and appreciate it to the max.