The opening track “Sister” is a triumph for ethereal pop. It works best with a panoramic sound system, but a pair of headphones do the job too. Dreamy sounds flicker in and out with vocals that rise and fall like a wave. The subsequent track “You and I” intervenes like a bolshy 80s track. Dan Snaith’s soothing vocals return and pull us back into a floaty, peculiar space.
“Sunny’s Time” introduces piano that blurs into lo-fi. There’s a James Blake feel to the track, both musically and in tone. Snaith cooly sings: “It all found me since I’ve been gone / I’ll be back when this is all done / But don’t you worry, that’s not your style / It makes me happy when I see your smile.” Thicker beats and distorted rap intervene as if to jerk the listener back into reality, to check we are still awake.
The tracks that follow are similarly upbeat. It’s music for dance tents at festivals and early morning parties. “New Jade” is the pinnacle of Caribou and the track comes together beautifully in its disjointedness. The Guardian described the album as “perfectly imperfect pop” and there is something about this description that quite poignantly captures the flow of the record.
“Home” shakes things up again, toying with a snappier indie feel. Even though the album flicks seamlessly through genres, it is held together by an overarching dreamy feel which could not be achieved without Snaith’s unique vocals.
The album’s closer “Cloud Song” is the imperfectly perfect way to close an imperfectly perfect album. For an album that seems to be set way up in the clouds, the bleeping synths don’t quite seem to fit the song’s title. And yet at the same time, the melancholy lyrics fit the mish-mash of sounds perfectly. He sings: “If you love me, come hold me now / Come tell me what to do / I’m broken, so tired of crying / Can’t seem to find my way to you.” This is an electronica album with a broken heart at its core.
Overall, Suddenly is an impressive album that confidently experiments with sounds and maintains an ambient feel throughout. The songs are beautiful in both melody and sentiment. This may some of Snaith’s finest work yet.
5/5
