There are the things that we feel we need. Wants, desires, love. Are these cravings things that are actually missing from our lives or are they the by-product of the instability of the world that we find ourselves living in. Perhaps in yearning for a little stability and control, these feelings bubble up in a way that makes us feel that if we have them than we will be able to take some power back? On her new album, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, Caroline Polochek explores all these facets of desire. Like the album, these emotions are all a bit scattered, crossing between elation and disappointment and paint a beautiful picture of the relative intangibility of the human experience.

It goes without saying that the production here is impeccable. Polachek and her collaborators create the perfect pop landscape to soundtrack her musings on desire. Front and centre are Polochek’s entrancing melodies and vocal performance. Right off the top on “Welcome To My Island”, which is the perfect introduction and palate cleanser for what will come, is a masterclass in the type of ethereal and mesmerizing vocal melodies that we have come to expect from Polachek . From there the track streamlines into a minimal breakbeat and almost spoken word verse until the chorus blows it all up in the best spine tingling way. Past single “Bunny Is A Rider” is the first track on the album that feels most like a true single without skimping on the studio tricks. An absolute goldmine of hooks, from the songs vocal melody to the slight bubbling bass line and Polochek’s seemingly improvised feeling vocal accents that pop up throughout. “Fly To You” features guest spots from Grimes and Dido, which is fitting as artists like Dido and Imogen Heap paved the way for what Polochek is doing here. Hearing Dido on the track alongside Polochek is actual perfection and her part is the dictionary definition of what a great hook in a song should be.

Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is Polocheks best collection thus far and that is saying a lot as her last release Pang is almost pure pop perfection. With this album, Polochek’s constant desire to dig deeper adds more depth to the songs than some of her precious work and it’s really revelatory stuff. Whatever your level of needs or desires are, listening to Polachek’s latest should satiate you, elate you and make you feel like at least one other person in the world understands.

Order Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek HERE