Review Summary: the lights are blinding
“When do we start to make a change?”
It’s a potent question, belted between the militaristic drumbeats and aching ambient soundscapes of opener “Highways,” evoking images of oil-slick rain and endless parking lots. Paving the way for the rest of the album, the song is an effortless blend of alt-rock and darkwave. Pulsing with dreamy electronics, it wrestles with a deep-seated disappointment in humanity that reverberates throughout the work. The following tracks “Youth” and “Future You” marry the propulsion of this track with a more radio-friendly bent. One is a fun track with an awkward flow, but the latter truly takes off in its bouncy final minute, somehow satisfying my Jezebels-sized dance-rock itch.
The majority of the album is far dreamier but no less moody. While more tracks would benefit from capitalizing on the contrast between their floaty leanings and the relatively-clenched rhythm section, only the title track feels desperately untethered, like a balloon vanishing over the horizon long before the song decides to end. Luckily, centerpieces “Cod Fishing” and “Morgen” root that same weightlessness in gothic spectacle, with Anne van den Hoogen’s marbled vocals surging over dense guitar collages.
Overall,
Alma proves a captivating case for Habitants’ established sound, displaying their lightness and heaviness in different ratios and allowing the listener to bask in whatever they prefer. If it can be frustratingly intangible at times, it's in a compelling, organic way that invites the audience to listen closer rather than keeping you at arm's length.
