Uniform
Soliti/Playground, 2022
8/10
The Finnish songwriter Knife Girl penned this album while living in Japan for a year, where gender roles are very firm, which contributed to a depression that was brought back to Finland.
“Stop Time” opens the listen with a very soft and dreamy display of gently delivered folk-pop that embraces stirring vocals, and “The Good Times Are Coming Your Way” follows with a bright and melodic display of modern pop meets indie-rock that’s quite anthemic.
In the middle, “Never Let Go” tips its hat to some disco nods with its crisp drumming and bright, rhythmic song craft, while “Precious Baby” gets quite soulful in its intimate demeanor that’s a bit blurry, too.
Approaching the end, “Brain Dead (Just Do It)” bounces with a stylish version of indie-pop that uses talk/singing strategically, and “Whisper” exits with a snappy, groovy landscape that flows with a retro energy.
Considering that the origin of this record came from a darker place, Uniform is an upbeat affair for Knife Girl (real name Lili Aslo), and it’s quite diverse, animated and colorful.
Travels well with: Babel- Yoga Horror; Johnny Hunter- Want