After years of being a staple in the club scene, British singer-producer Shygirl has returned with a bold new sound for her sophomore album, SWALLOW!. The album, released Friday, is experimental and immersive, expanding Shygirl’s brand beyond high-energy dance floor bangers into masterful pop songwriting.
Shygirl addressed the sonic departure from her debut album Nymph, which she described as more of a “smorgasbord of my potential,” with “loads of different sonic moods.” In an interview with Vera on Track, the artist explains, “On this record, I wanted to be more concise and push natural instrumentation. I gravitated towards more in-computer production…and it’s turned into more indie electronica.”
Even more than its massive production, the album is first and foremost about love. More specifically—about Shygirl’s own experiences with falling in love with her current partner. “The falling in love was really a discovery of my capacity to love,” she said.
SWALLOW! opens with fan-favorite “Alyse,” an explosive and chaotic intro to the album. At first angry and industrial, the track evokes the feeling of stepping into warehouse afters before opening up into large and atmospheric vocal layering reminiscent of The Prodigy. “The air we breathe, the sky we see, you’d reach me still,” she intones.
The next few tracks delve into nostalgic girly-punk rock and dreamy trip-hop, dredging up visuals of red flannels and ’90s rom-com montages. Shygirl shares her happiness in the punny “Lucky (Hymn),” simply in love with being alive. “Luvli” is a bit more trippy and grungy, with spacey vocals. The guitar- and drumbeats-driven “Submit” is upbeat and rhythmic; you can almost picture everyone skanking and kicking in the club while she screams into the mic, “It won’t hurt to love so much.”
From there, SWALLOW! effectively utilizes transitional tracks, such as the hypnotizing and trance-like “Live the Life You Like” or “Déjà vu,” where grimy breakbeats open into orchestral violins before circling back to a cacophony of sounds.
On the lyrically-focused “Real,” Shygirl places whispery and intentionally auto-tuned vocals over light Pink Pantheress-esque UKG while she regales us with how she felt after meeting her partner: “As I didn’t exist before.” “Higher, higher” she sings happily about her mood on “Mantra”—incidentally also describing the song’s driving build ups and increased BPM.
The last tracks to round out the album include “Altar,” a lush, trip-hop track with heavy reverb that creates a slow and provocative soundscape, and the instrument-driven “Sublime” and “Eternal.” “Sublime” is all electric guitar solos and bright and shiny indie-pop vocals, as Shygirl blissfully sings, “It’s so easy for me to fall in love with you.”
Lastly, “Eternal,” a hopeful folktronica piece with airy soprano vocals and orchestral strings, provides an open-ended note to interpret. Is this love healthy or is she consumed by it? After a more aggressive first half, the album showcases a more introspective and reflective second half—much like a comedown after the trip.
In an interview with Fader, Shygirl explains her choice of album art (a bird breaking out of an egg): “For me, this idea that you have to break through this form that’s naturally hard like the egg. I needed something that showed an almost decisive moment, like the in and out.” Fittingly, the album itself feels like a decisive moment in Shygirl’s career—as she breaks out of her club-life shell.
SWALLOW! is out now.
Words by Jessica Men for Staged Haze
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