Pompeii features Cate Le Bon's signature voice and delivery over some odd and abstract art pop, focusing more in a synth direction than previous releases. It is a dark and dense listen that is contrasted nicely with light and breezy hooks and guitar tones and is another record that is undeniably her own.
Welsh singer, songwriter, and producer Cate Le Bon is a tour de force. She has been in the music game for over a decade releasing obtuse art pop under her stage name. She really started to gain traction with her album Mug Museum in 2013 and has gained more and more buzz from fans and critics over the internet since. What initially sparked my interest with Cate was her fifth studio album Reward in 2019. The singles from it are great and the album itself is a dreamy, mesmerizing experience full of beautifully sung ballads with some odd production and notably distinct horns. That year I simply did not listen to it as much as I would've liked and with the lead up to the release of Pompeii, her sixth studio album, what better way to prepare than revisiting Reward? With more listens, Reward is even better than I remembered with some fantastic deep cuts too. So, is Pompeii a proper and expected follow up or does it go into a different direction completely?
Although Pompeii does feature Cate Le Bon's signature voice and delivery over some generally odd art pop, the record focuses much more in a synth direction than previous releases. Still, the saxophone, slick guitars and echoey percussion are here ten fold so don't expect an entirely different Cate Le Bon. Compared to many of the stickier moments from Reward, Pompeii has more slow burning tracks and tracks that will require multiple listens before flipping heads or tails on wether or not you're 100% down with them... or maybe the sound in general is making me want to listen to it again and again to decipher what's going on. The production I've heard from Cate Le Bon on her albums has a particular dryness or dense feel to them. It's very hard to explain but once you hear it I'm sure you'll understand. I think it has to do with how she layers the sounds and how she mixes them. It has a vintage flare while also sounding dystopian. This "dryness" is exactly how I described the production when I reviewed Deerhunter's latest record back in 2019. Of course, that record is produced by Cate herself. That's not a bad thing at all though, I really dig her production choices! They're very unique and is one of the key reasons why Deerhunter's latest was one of my favorite albums of that year.
There is a certain dystopian feel I get when I listen to Pompeii and maybe it's titled like that because of the infamous natural disaster that happened there. It's a dark record but with that comes the lighter, catchier harmonies, and guitar tones across the album. Although I did mention there are slow burning moments like the opener "Dirt on the Bed," there still are plenty of fun and catchy moments like single "Moderation," the album's best track. "Moderation" has a peppy pace, sunburnt guitars and a flavorful saxophone gliding that track through the light blue sky. On the flip side, "French Boys" has a slow pace with stark synths, sax, and steel drum that's melancholy. But fun melancholy. This is sad music that's exciting to listen to. The title track is another highlight with shimmering keys and sweetly sung melodies that is lightly spread on a good piece of toast. It's a good ole snack. "Harbour" is another catchy moment on the record that lightly bounces with some of Cate's best vocal hooks on the album. The gloomy synths back up the ripping guitars and squealing sax on "Running Away," one of the album's singles. The breezy "Remembering Me" has the peppy and sassy vocals that show off Cate's personality.
I found Pompeii to be a fun listen and a proper follow up to Reward. Cate Le Bon is still performing like a pro and in the field of current art pop, she's definitely one of the most captivating and exciting ones in the bunch. Although I found it to be not as enjoyable as Reward, it's still quite a solid listen that I'm sure will get better with time. Just like Reward, I enjoyed it more with multiple listens so I'm sure that will be the case with Pompeii as well. This is just how I feel about it right at this moment, only a couple of full listens in. The balladry is still very pretty and the dense and dry production is still head turning and uniquely herself. When Cate wants to have fun with her tunes, they definitely sound fun and breezy with her knack of pop songwriting. Pompeii is a dark and dense listen that is contrasted nicely with light and breezy hooks and guitar tones, a record that is undeniably Cate Le Bon. May she continue walking in her own footsteps with future projects. She's doing just dandy!
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Moderation," "Pompeii," "Harbour," "Remembering Me"
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