Brooke Fraser

Brutal Romantic

2015-03-05

Brook Fraser is a New Zealand pop musician and "Brutal Romance" is her fourth studio album. Most of her work to this point has been acoustic and raw. On "Brutal Romance," Fraser experiments with a darker, more electronic sound. Her strong, beautiful vocals are overlaid on infectious dance beats as well as bleaker, more ethereal soundscapes. The result is something that would sound at home on a dance floor illuminated by strobe lights.

The album opens with Fraser's bare, breathy voice and a powerful choir of background voices on "Psychosocial." The song is an intense way to open the album, confidently presenting the dramatic difference from Fraser's previous albums. The rest of the album is generally more upbeat—"Thunder" and "Kings and Queens" are both danceable, fun pop songs. Fans of Lorde or Feist will probably find themselves digging this album.

review by Marie

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