Loose lid - hers

Loose Lid

Hers
self-released; 2014

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Robash

The loneliness of the long-distance runner is akin to the loneliness of the solo artist. There is a certain kind of fear that can grip one, when one begins at a clear starting point, knowing that the unseen finish line is out there, though that is only if one can make it through the distance in-between. This particular kind of loneliness pervades many of the ten tracks on Brooklyn songwriter and dark-wave DJ, Loose Lid’s debut LP Hers. 

Although Loose Lid did receive some help on this album from flezaDoza of Brooklyn Native Studios who recorded, mixed and mastered Hers. And in this day and age, for this type of pop inspired electronica, which can be recorded by just about anyone with a decent laptop, Loose Lid should consider that move money well spent. 

The album opens with the dark and synth fueled “White Girl,” which pairs fuzzed out bass beats with up-tempo drum beats, getting the album off to a very danceable start. That feeling quickly fades as the next track “Wifey” creates a 360-degree tonal shift. It features simple calliope notes which serve as a harmony for most of the song giving it a catchy feel though at times so much so that one can miss the layers of production and changes that occur through the song, which as it unfolds tells the tale of the dissolution of a marriage. 

There is a return to danceable darkness later on the angry and industrial inspired “Imperious” one of the album’s darkest tracks both musically and vocally as well, as the grunting chorus goes, “Put it in with your poison /Put it in with your scone /Wrap it up with your toys, Hun /And shove it up your throne.” 

Later on the album begins to move into more experimental territory especially on tracks like “South Mouths” with its vibraphone like synths and ghostly vocal samples, which are meant more for sound and texture than actual meaning, a stark contrast to the album’s earlier songs. The experiment continues with the lovely, funky and Depeche Mode inspired “How Very.” The album closes with “French Maid;” its dark, thrilling bass and snarly synths simmer beneath the slowly spoken and spooky vocal echoes, which paint a picture of the illicit activities going on in an intense sexually-charged relationship. 

Loose Lid does what he does very well, which is to craft very listenable techno-pop tunes steeped in themes that most listeners can relate to. However what sets him apart from others in his field is that he knows just how far to take an experiment, never pushing too far past the drum and bass boundaries, and therefore keeps Hers from becoming someone else’s.

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