Ghostly Kisses Do the Same, but Better on 'Darkroom'

Heaven, Wait, Margaux Sauvé's ethereal 2022 debut as Ghostly Kisses, was a precocious if spotty album built from sparse electronic production, classical inflections and concert-hall elegance. It was the kind of debut that's described as promising as opposed to brilliant, but as consolation gestures toward an enviably straightforward sophomore goal: more, just better.

More, just better is exactly what we get with Darkroom, a resounding success that consolidates Sauvé's strengths and discards the inessentials in all the right ways. Brighter, tighter production courtesy once again of partner Louis-Etienne Santais? Check. More memorable and pronounced hooks than last time? Check. Free-floating, momentum-breaking acoustic tracks nowhere to be found? Thankfully, check again (Sauvé and Santais find more interesting ways to pull back when needed).

Darkroom finds Sauvé leaning further on Santais's production. Her collaborator has upped his game in basically every way, moving confidently between drum and bass, breakbeat and progressive styles — sometimes in the space of a single track, like the textbook beat drop on "Oceans" (a real sit-up-and-notice moment). He even steps off for some downtempo and trip hop here and there. "Silver Screen" gives a very specific kind of Portishead-via-Lana Del Rey energy that seems knowingly conjured (the title is a dead giveaway), and elsewhere we get "Crimson," rolling confidently like something you'd hear booming out of Bicep's speakers at peak time. Things feel more rooted this time around, and it adds integrity to the duo's sound.

Sauvé's vocal approach has changed comparatively less, her jazz-adjacent, up-close delivery still a compelling alternative to the kind of soaring, heavily processed choices you might expect with this style of music. Indeed, it's nice to hear some actual space around a vocal performance in an EDM context for once, a choice that seems of a piece with the sturdy classical ethos that still runs through the duo's work. It's the male choir piping up from time to time that adds the most distinctive flair, a well-judged choice that adds a lot. Sauvé's breathy voice hovers above it all, a delicate but intense and serious turn from her, with apparently fan-sourced lyrics that deal in big emotions. This concept adds an extra layer for those looking for it, but it's easy to enjoy Darkroom on the rest of its substantial merits.