Review Summary: the boundless bedroom
From the well-rounded and pristine melodies of 'bells' to the loveable acoustic sketch-like properties of '555',
moving forward explores all corners of familiarity across its ten tracks. While those corners may not always appear entirely comfortable, Absinthe Father makes them feel like they
belong. The second full length album by the semi-retired Twitter meme queen finds itself injecting indie rock with elements of dream pop, country and shoegaze, and connects each moment with a sense of sincerity that is both the music's greatest strength and weakness. Certain songs shine with heartfelt yet simplistic lyrics, weaving existential questions of "
what is less than empty?" and "
when I fall, who's going to be there to lift me up again?" into delightful Grouper-isms and delicate indie folk respectively. Occasionally, however, songs tend to get lost in and among themselves. While fitting with the record's overarching themes, some of its deep cuts blend together in spite of their tasteful sonic palettes. As such,
moving forward is explicitly imperfect yet inherently likeable: a bedroom record floating through the stratosphere thanks to the mind's seemingly endless anxieties and abilities.
