With their glossy textures, candy floss colour and melancholic beats, the 11 tracks of Jessy Lanza’s ‘Love Hallucination’ approximate their title in glorious fashion. The Canadian producer and vocalist resides in a middle ground—signed to the forward-thinking label Hyperdub since her 2013 debut 'Pull My Hair Back', her approach can often feel too adventurous for the mainstream but too approachable to remain underground.
Fortunately, we live in a world where ‘pop star’ no longer just means topping the charts and selling out stadiums. There’s a whole new tier underneath, home to cult stars such as Self Esteem and Caroline Polachek. On the basis of ‘Love Hallucination’, Lanza could soon join their ranks.
Its first three tracks (all released as advance singles) are seductive electro-pop bangers, with Limbo and its elegant chorus a particularly accessible highlight.
Lanza’s fresh approach draws on an alternative history of electronic music. Its plasticky sheen recalls the postmodern experimentation of hyperpop, while there are myriad echoes of the colourful J-pop of Haroumi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Lanza’s tone can initially seem arch, but I Hate Myself and Don’t Cry On My Pillow bulldoze through any potential artifice to reveal sincere depths of feeling. It can be disarming, and once you drop your guard, it’s hugely endearing.
Another exquisitely designed collection from a burgeoning auteur, ‘Love Hallucination’ is forward-thinking pop music of the best kind: free from ironic distance and delivering heaps of dayglo fun.
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