Review Summary: Give me somewhere to be, give me someone to be
Eliza & The Delusionals create the sort of indie-rock that takes you to the clouds. Lead singer/frontwoman Eliza Klatt’s voice is wispy and weightless – frequently soaring to divine heights – but is also capable of coming back down to earth and delivering a knockout blow when she sees fit. The magic surrounding the band’s sophomore release, comes partially from her vocal charm but is also due to the album’s creative vision – this cinematic, uplifting dreamscape brimming with lush interludes and songs that effortlessly segue into one another. It’s both a summer jam and an imaginative escape; a glistening utopia to which the mind will want to wander.
The soft sounds of nature usher us into this mystical garden, but the album’s aura gradually fuses itself with spacious, panoramic rock. We get bright, catchy tunes like ‘Another You’, which recalls Best Coast or perhaps even Alvvays, and ‘Hurts’, where the insanely memorable melodic inflections are almost Swiftian by nature (but far less self-engrossed). Gorgeous keyboard/saxophone flourishes add a majestic flair to the conclusions of ‘Falling For You’ and “I Wanna Love You’. We even get a Brian Aubert (of Silversun Pickups) cameo on the dreamy-yet-striking ‘Lately’, where driving guitars and lead synths pave the way for some of Eliza’s most poignant and heart-wrenching lyrics to-date: “I love you but I don’t want to / Am I wasting my time? Is this life worth living? It's fucked all the time.”
Make It Feel Like The Garden is one of those albums that seems to continually get better as it progresses, and there’s no better evidence than the closing duo of ‘Somebody’ and ‘Madison’. The former is the most elegant moment on the record, fusing elements of jazz with bittersweet lyrics of heartache, while the latter is an epic and decisive finale – replete with waves of crashing guitars and a simple notion of pure summer love: “you…you get me high.” This album’s only real weakness is that it doesn’t technically break any new ground; all these sounds – as beautifully inspiring as they are – have undoubtedly been explored before. However,
Garden loses none of its ability to sweep you away through sheer euphoria. On the title track, Klatt sings, "Give me somewhere to be, give me someone to be." On their second full-length, Eliza & The Delusionals have certainly crafted a statement album and solidified their identity. It's ambitious, highly infectious, full of atmosphere...and as good as any garden I’ve ever stumbled upon.
