An album that opens with the admission “I got way too high for this” is destined to be full of journal-like ruminations and insights, and Vagabon doesn’t disappoint. On the atmospheric “Autobahn,” where she dissects a previous relationship, she advises, “Forget enough to love what you remember.” During the heartfelt closer “Anti-Fuck,” writing off a guy that is unable to show commitment, she sings, “Am I wrong to decide the last thing I want is unknown?” And on the frenetic “Do Your Worst,” she sees a worse version of herself when hanging out with a partner: “You turned me into someone I don’t fuck with.”

Her exploration of sounds also is constantly exciting — an understated house beat on “You Know How,” UK garage on “Do Your Worst,” skittering and immersive R&B on “Made Out With Your Best Friend,” a Radiohead In Rainbows-like guitar riff on “Lexicon,” whose clunky chorus denotes the song a little. “Carpenter” incorporates some bouncy Afrobeats, and the wavy, easy-going synths on “It’s A Crisis” run perpendicular to the overthinking she displays on the actual track.

If Sorry I Haven’t Called has a detriment, it might go hand in hand with one of its quirks — Vagabon’s light voice that works on “Can I Talk My Shit?” also falters on songs like “Carpenter” or “Lexicon,” where it feels a little underbaked. There, she sings on serviceable enough pop songs, but there’s a part that feels missing, as if a full effort wasn’t put into the recording process. On both “You Know How” and “Passing Me By,” too, odd vocal manipulations hinder the result — especially on the former, where her artificially deep voice is atop a dated mid-2010s party music beat.

Sorry I Haven’t Called is a warm and inviting record, if not a particularly inventive one. The record was written primarily after the death of one of her friends in 2021, but instead of a somber affair, it explores and celebrates it with its multitude of sounds. It’s a hooky, fun listen, there when you need to go out and dance or stay in and reflect.

Order by Sorry I Haven’t Called by Vagabon HERE