LABEL: Hyperdub

CAT NO: HDBLP056

BARCODE: 5056321637369

Tracklisting:

1. Built To Last (ft Xzavier Stone)
2. Lets Go
3. Simple Stuff
4. Black Ting (ft Le3 bLack)
5. Insecure Behaviour And Fuckery (ft Nova)
6. Self Doubt (Leaving The Club Early)
7. On The Lake Outside (ft Baths)
8. Reflection
9. Change
10. Running Like That (ft Eden Samara)
11. Were Building Something New (ft Iceboy Violet)

LORAINE JAMES Reflection

LP Black Vinyl

Made during summer 2020, Loraine James second Hyperdub album, Reflection, is a turbulent expression of inner-space, laid out in unflinching honesty, offering gentle empathy and bitter-sweet hope. Reflection further develops a unique pop sensibility realised on last years Nothing EP, while tones of Drill and R&B seep through into this collection too. In contrast to the brash splashes of 2019s For You And I LP and the grimey anger of Nothing, Reflection is pared-down and confident, taking the listener through how last year felt as a young black queer woman in a world that has suddenly stopped moving, the arc of the album peppered with Loraines diaristic confessions. Starting positively with the gentle pop-trap of Built To Last ft Xzavier Stone, into the bumpy instrumental of Lets Go, the album switches tone with Simple Stuff, followed by regular collaborator Le3 bLACK amplifying Loraines vulnerability on the downcast drill of Black Ting, then Insecure Behaviour And Fuckery is a techno glide which pairs Novas confrontational plea for respect, delivered in monotone autotune, against deep Drexciyan chords. With Baths on vocals, the weightlessness of On The Lake Outside soothes numb feelings, and Eden Samara explores the shadow world of anxious dreams on the airy R&B of Running Like That. Closing track Were Building Something New with Manchester rapper Iceboy Violet brings the album together, confidently suggesting a new world is in reach. Reflection is a brave step forward for a unique and creative 21st century musician.