Young Ejecta, the musical collaborative project by Neon Indian's Leanne Macomber and producer Joel Ford, operates in the hazy world between traditional pop and electronic music, often employing the combination of heartfelt lyrics and four-on-the-floor beats that Robyn has popularized. Mini-album opener "Into Your Heart" is a particularly apt representation of the pair's dynamic, with Macomber's soft and twee delivery paired with similarly cutesy electronic flourishes, only to become engulfed in a pulsating 4/4 drumbeat.
Instead of sounding disjointed, Ford's production heightens the vulnerability of Macomber's vocals and the pair's lyrics. The song structures themselves are almost casual in their simplicity, diverting the focus to the dichotomy between the confessional and forthright nature of the lyrics and the calculatedly rudimentary production choices.
There's an almost cyclical quality to certain songs, such as the use of repetition in text and patterns that add an increasing sense of menace and despair to lines like, "You said that you would wait for me" on "Recluse" or, "No, I couldn't keep you up all night, just thinking are you ever going to take me back" on album closer "What You Done." Most songs deal with ideas of unrequited love or dissolving relationships, with the album keeping a noteworthy non-judgemental stance, instead exploring hard subjects matter-of-factly.
While some critics were quick to dismiss Young Ejecta based on their constitution (not another female/male duo!) or their sound (dismissing it as simple, sugary re-revival of foppish electro), Macomber and Ford have managed to forge their own singular identity on their newest output, which could have — and arguably should have — been expanded into a powerful full-length. But The Planet works more than well enough as its own insular world, and is hopefully but a taste of more to come
(Driftless)Instead of sounding disjointed, Ford's production heightens the vulnerability of Macomber's vocals and the pair's lyrics. The song structures themselves are almost casual in their simplicity, diverting the focus to the dichotomy between the confessional and forthright nature of the lyrics and the calculatedly rudimentary production choices.
There's an almost cyclical quality to certain songs, such as the use of repetition in text and patterns that add an increasing sense of menace and despair to lines like, "You said that you would wait for me" on "Recluse" or, "No, I couldn't keep you up all night, just thinking are you ever going to take me back" on album closer "What You Done." Most songs deal with ideas of unrequited love or dissolving relationships, with the album keeping a noteworthy non-judgemental stance, instead exploring hard subjects matter-of-factly.
While some critics were quick to dismiss Young Ejecta based on their constitution (not another female/male duo!) or their sound (dismissing it as simple, sugary re-revival of foppish electro), Macomber and Ford have managed to forge their own singular identity on their newest output, which could have — and arguably should have — been expanded into a powerful full-length. But The Planet works more than well enough as its own insular world, and is hopefully but a taste of more to come