Berlin-based South African Lucy Kruger unveils her brand-new album, Transit Tapes (for women who move furniture around), with The Lost Boys, via Unique Records.
According to Lucy, “The songs begin in the bedroom, as with ‘Sleeping Tapes,’ but with an eye on the window and a hand on the door. There is a restlessness. A kind of building up of courage and the acknowledgment of a fear I had developed around making too much noise or causing too much of a scene. How are we supposed to discover who we are if we are not allowed to make a mess? To leak, spill, sweat, spit, shriek. Sometimes playing involves getting scratched or wounded. Laughing. Weeping… ‘Transit Tapes’ is a gentle and sometimes not so gentle reminder to take off my winter coat and run naked like a wild thing towards the water.”
Fashioned in a tiny 34°c rehearsal space in Berlin, Transit Tapes finds Kruger changing course from 2019’s Sleeping Tapes for some girls, which reflected private surfaces from behind a closed door. On Transit Tapes, she opens the door and probes what lies outside.
Working with The Lost Boys, made up of drummer Martin Perret, guitarist Liú Mottes, and bassist Andreas Miranda, Transit Tapes takes on sonic depth and resonant dimension, infusing the music with weighty vibrancy.
Encompassing a dozen tracks, the album begins with “Braille,” opening on a low-slung dark rhythm accented by gleaming colors as Kruger’s haunting voice glides overhead on sensuous, breathless textures.
Entry points include “Evening Train,” traveling on soft, platinum guitars topped by Kruger’s lush sighing voice. As the melody assumes gravity, the guitars mousse up to hefty, thick layers of coloration, coasting on potent tendrils. “A Stranger’s Chest” offers a drifting intro flavored by Kruger’s luscious susurrations, imbuing the lyrics with lingering mists, even as the melody slowly builds with reverberating energy.
The throbbing rhythm of “A Paper Boat” supports gentle gleaming hues. Almost hushed, Kruger’s murmured timbres infuse the lyrics with sepulchral portent. While “A Cellar Door” conjures up memories of The Doors, rippling with delicate lysergic tones, as if ensconced in a kaleidoscopic dream.
The final track, “Warm II” rolls out on relaxed, wafting nuances of lightly shimmering timbres. Kruger’s supple, subdued voice gives the lyrics tranquil quixotic aromas.
Brimming with plush residual energy and prismatic imminence, Transit Tapes is grandly superb, showcasing the dulcet voice of Lucy Kruger.
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