Lyla Foy: Mirrors the Sky

Low-energy, chill indie pop. It kind of reminded me of Beach House in its chillness, if Beach House had softer, less catchy beats and more acoustic influences. It also reminded me of Beach House in that the album is all about atmosphere, about establishing a certain kind of feel. The feel is brooding, quiet.

Really smooth, echoey female vocals. The music isn’t in any hurry to get where it wants to go. Lots of soft electronic beats, but acoustic elements too.

The album centers on Lyla’s voice and Lyla’s lyrics. The lyrics are always at least decent, and sometimes quite good, but they tend to repeat themselves. I had hoped that the album would take more risks lyrically or sonically. The brooding, quiet atmosphere is maintained so rigidly that the album feels a bit stagnant. Still, not bad, and the atmosphere is nice in one-track doses.

Recommended tracks: 1, 3, 7, 8
1)* “Honeymoon” (3:28): Lovely chorus. Soft exit.
2) “I Only” (3:04): Lighter and more upbeat than Track 1. The beat is kind of silly. Interesting background noises at around the one-minute mark.
3)* “Impossible” (3:55): Beautiful chorus elevates this one above some of the others.
4) “Rumour” (3:53): A bit repetitive.
5) “Easy” (3:30): Picks up in the second half, and the textures grow much richer.
6) “No Secrets” (4:18): Soft counterpoint notes in the background are a nice touch.
7)* “Only Human” (4:08): Slow start, but I liked the chorus. Brief touch of xylophone. Very gentle song.
8)* “Feather Tongue” (3:27): More complex rhythm in the background. Gentle beeping and booping. Nice chorus that you get to listen to about ten times.
9) “Someday” (3:47): Almost absurdly slow start to this one. Nice textures come in around 2:40. Soft quiet end.
10) “Warning” (3:34): Some horns in this one. Several seconds of silence at the end of the track.

--Mr. Tumnus