Meggie Lennon wants to create a realm of nostalgia, yearning for both the recent past and beyond. Sounds from Your Lips is a promising solo debut from the former leader of Quebec City's Aberdeen, building an environment that oscillates between space-y, bright and melancholic.
Lennon is very clearly inspired by the psych-pop leanings of 2010s indie pop. This influence is extremely on-the-nose, with much of the record recalling Weyes Blood and Melody's Echo Chamber. More locally, "Mind Games" leans to the wobbly tones of fellow Montrealers Men I Trust. Lennon's reverberated vocals are delivered with soft inflection and almost act as another instrument. There's also a touch of '80s electronica in the Depeche Mode-esque synthline of "Lost in the Plot." In this way, Sounds from Your Lips straddles the line between luminous and pensive. This is on-brand for Lennon, who describes her sound as "makeout dream pop." The album accomplishes this in being both sensual and foggy, feeling like a stoned, sunny afternoon.
All of the songs on the record are structurally simple, which complements how the instruments take up space. Much of the album's rhythm guitar is acoustic and clean in tone, cutting through straightforward lead guitar and synth parts. This creates a significant amount of room on the tracks, contributing to the aura of the album as a whole — which is dreamy but could benefit from a little more energy. The record's optimistic opener "Night Shift" is an exception to this, its melodic bassline leading to the album's most satisfying crescendo. This optimism ties together what seems to be Lennon's creative vision, as she writes graceful songs with few parts and a larger mission in mind: setting a mood.
Songs from Your Lips is well-produced and highlights Lennon's knack for arranging songs artfully, with her stylistic choices providing room for future growth. Though her influences are clear, the album doesn't do much to expand outward. Instead, it chooses to focus on creating an atmosphere in which the songs are placed delicately. From here, perhaps Lennon can take her strength in mood-setting and flex her strong songwriting muscles, moving from building ambience into more immersive concepts.
(Mothland)Lennon is very clearly inspired by the psych-pop leanings of 2010s indie pop. This influence is extremely on-the-nose, with much of the record recalling Weyes Blood and Melody's Echo Chamber. More locally, "Mind Games" leans to the wobbly tones of fellow Montrealers Men I Trust. Lennon's reverberated vocals are delivered with soft inflection and almost act as another instrument. There's also a touch of '80s electronica in the Depeche Mode-esque synthline of "Lost in the Plot." In this way, Sounds from Your Lips straddles the line between luminous and pensive. This is on-brand for Lennon, who describes her sound as "makeout dream pop." The album accomplishes this in being both sensual and foggy, feeling like a stoned, sunny afternoon.
All of the songs on the record are structurally simple, which complements how the instruments take up space. Much of the album's rhythm guitar is acoustic and clean in tone, cutting through straightforward lead guitar and synth parts. This creates a significant amount of room on the tracks, contributing to the aura of the album as a whole — which is dreamy but could benefit from a little more energy. The record's optimistic opener "Night Shift" is an exception to this, its melodic bassline leading to the album's most satisfying crescendo. This optimism ties together what seems to be Lennon's creative vision, as she writes graceful songs with few parts and a larger mission in mind: setting a mood.
Songs from Your Lips is well-produced and highlights Lennon's knack for arranging songs artfully, with her stylistic choices providing room for future growth. Though her influences are clear, the album doesn't do much to expand outward. Instead, it chooses to focus on creating an atmosphere in which the songs are placed delicately. From here, perhaps Lennon can take her strength in mood-setting and flex her strong songwriting muscles, moving from building ambience into more immersive concepts.
