Russian singer, songwriter and composer Kate NV's new full length album is an absolute delight. There's even more of her playful personality being expressed in such a bubbly, quirky and fun way that it should be impossible to not frown at when listening to WOW.
I don't think there are many other artists these days who sound as fun and playful as Kate NV. The Russian singer, songwriter, and composer brings her personality into the forefront of her chirpy, light, vibrant electronic, ambient and pop music. I was first introduced to her music with Room for the Moon back in 2020. It's an album full of imaginative pop music that ventures into numerous dreamlike avenues while also featuring Kate singing in numerous different languages. It being one of that year's best and most enjoyable albums, I was definitely looking forward to whatever Kate would cook up next. WOW is her proper studio album follow up to her 2020 release and it's quite a remarkable follow up for sure. Although there is a lovely amount of variety on WOW, there seems to be more of a focus on cohesion this time rather than the scattered ideas of Room for the Moon. I get much more of an album experience this time where each song follows up nicely with the next in the track listing. There typically is more of an instrumental approach to her music where often times her cutely pastel voice is more of a secondary element rather than the typical focal point commonly used in pop music. This time it seems to be much more the case where WOW is mostly an instrumental record where her vocals are used more like an added effect or instrument rather than one that drives in traditional hooks or choruses.
Despite this lack of traditional pop vocal structure, WOW is still indeed a sticky, catchy and memorable experience to listen to. When there are occasionally vocal choruses or hooks, they are very enjoyable to hear. But the meat of the record is truly the music itself. Her minimalist approach with cutting and pasting effects is quite rudimentary in practice but when listening to the entire sonic collage of sounds, it's quite complex and detailed. The album is pure ear candy on headphones where the electronics, synths, keys, chopped vocals, and percussion all come together very seamlessly. It's also adorable, quirky, and dreamy as all get out. If you don't like your music with at least some quirk, then don't even bother trying out Kate's music. Similar to Room for the Moon, the production and mixing on WOW is very pretty, well put together, and is a joy to listen to.
Starting with the opener "oni (they)," Kate sings almost entirely in Japanese on this hypnotic and melodic single. It's one of the album's biggest and most exciting highlights and I've been loving the single ever since it was released a few months ago. The album's next track, "confessions at the dinner table," might be my favorite on the whole album. It's an absolute blast hearing the bouncy percussion, Kate's cheery vocals, fluttering woodwinds and sax, and skipping synths in such a joyous and upbeat rhythm. "slon (elephant)" is a dreamy synth passage that has chirpy pitched vocals that cut in and out, almost resembling that of a character from Animal Crossing. "asleep" is a lovely instrumental that sways back and forth like a lullaby for a virtual character in a video game. It reminds me of some of the lovely ambient moments on her previous album. I think classical percussion groups like Third Coast Percussion would appreciate "nochoi zvonok (night call)" due to the light electronics and vibraphone playing throughout.
"mi (we)" has the coolest percussive elements on the album and "flu" has the prettiest woodwinds that layer over each other in a hypnotically cinematic fashion. "d d don't" is arguably the album's most pop-centric song with a prominently sung chorus, hook, and melodies. It's a fun bop. "early bird" sounds like a quirky instrumental to a kid's video game about a little bird finding his/her lost mother. "razmishlenie (thinking)" is really the only song I don't really care for on the album. The repeated chopped vocal samples that get repeated and layered over and over are interesting to hear but they do give me a headache as the song continues. "meow chat" closes the album in a satisfying way with its unique sounds, including what sounds to be like someone trying to rev up a toy car, lips puckering, a cappella beats, and a sword being sharpened.
On WOW, I think Kate NV really progressed as an artist and found even more of her footing. There's even more of her playful personality being expressed in such a bubbly, quirky and fun way that it should be impossible to not frown at when listening to it. I liked the free-for-all aspect on Room for the Moon but I certainly enjoy the overall cohesion and consistency on WOW much more. The album is super fun from start to finish and I could see this being enjoyable on shuffle too. It's pure ear candy and its production is very tasteful to hear, being able to point out unique bits and pieces of sonics with each new listen. Overall WOW is an absolute delight and it is definitely a cheery highlight of 2023 so far.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "confessions at the dinner table," "oni (they)," "d d don't," "nochoi zvonok (night call)," "asleep"
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