[freq]
[July 3]
[7/10]
Konig
Puberty
As an introduction to Toronto's Konig, the minimalist dream-pop project of 20-something Nadia Pacey, Puberty is as intimate as you can get. Listening to it feels akin to eavesdropping on diary entries as they're being written, pooling into confessions of adolescent desire, confusion and small but essential moments of clarity. It's an understated and quietly stunning debut that rides on Pacey's delicate, aloof voice and gift for effortless melody.
At times, Puberty almost functions as an artefact, with field recordings of conversations between subway patrons and friends, mostly without context, employed to differing levels of effectiveness. The songs, though, work much better as snapshots of a life, particularly one learning to deal with complicated emotions. "Treat Me Like a Dog" is a hazy meditation on an abusive relationship; "Sweetness Turns Me Off" is a sparkling denouncement of sentimentality on which Pacey sings, "My love is caught in a place where sweetness makes me scoff."
There are legitimate bedroom-pop bangers here, too, like the bouncy "Communicate," and the cinematic ascent of "Candle" shimmers above the rest of the record as Pacey ends things with an admission: "I still love you, I still love you." (Independent, konig.bandcamp.com)
Matt Williams
(Independent)[July 3]
[7/10]
Konig
Puberty
As an introduction to Toronto's Konig, the minimalist dream-pop project of 20-something Nadia Pacey, Puberty is as intimate as you can get. Listening to it feels akin to eavesdropping on diary entries as they're being written, pooling into confessions of adolescent desire, confusion and small but essential moments of clarity. It's an understated and quietly stunning debut that rides on Pacey's delicate, aloof voice and gift for effortless melody.
At times, Puberty almost functions as an artefact, with field recordings of conversations between subway patrons and friends, mostly without context, employed to differing levels of effectiveness. The songs, though, work much better as snapshots of a life, particularly one learning to deal with complicated emotions. "Treat Me Like a Dog" is a hazy meditation on an abusive relationship; "Sweetness Turns Me Off" is a sparkling denouncement of sentimentality on which Pacey sings, "My love is caught in a place where sweetness makes me scoff."
There are legitimate bedroom-pop bangers here, too, like the bouncy "Communicate," and the cinematic ascent of "Candle" shimmers above the rest of the record as Pacey ends things with an admission: "I still love you, I still love you." (Independent, konig.bandcamp.com)
Matt Williams