Album Review: 'Desire, I Want to Turn Into You' by Caroline Polachek

Caroline Polachek at her ‘Heart is Unbreaking’ tour. Picture source: Erin McCormack

Caroline Polachek, we want to listen to you. Pops most whimsical artist blesses us again with her sophomore album.

Teasing for the album began almost two years ago, with 'Bunny Is a Rider' dropping in the summer of 2021. A success from the start, the song was more cheerful as opposed to her previous body of work 'Pang', an album brimming with vulnerability. Created following her divorce, the raw emotion is visible through Caroline’s ever-shifting ethereal voice.

New Caroline had fans waiting until early 2022 for a second dip into her self-crafted world of serenity, lust, and confidence. This came in the form of single 'Billions'. Beginning with what can only be described as sonic swirls, it feels as if you are falling into a time beyond existence. Caroline’s sound is so new yet so primitive and tribal. She would have been the queen of pop for Anglo-Saxons. The transcendent song carries the listener gently, whilst Caroline’s voice jabs at you in the most beautiful way. Ending with a full echo of vocals from a choir and electronic pulses, the unique feeling this song creates stays strong.

'Sunset', 'Welcome To My Island' and 'Blood And Butter' followed in the winter months of 2022 and beginning of 2023. The video for Sunset features Caroline running around various areas of Barcelona, having the perfect summers day known to human. The song and video complement each other beautifully and add further depth to the already intriguing aesthetic of Ms Polachek. Caroline is a maximalist (have a look at all the annotations about her album cover on Genuis) and it can be guaranteed that she will always provide you with detail, both sonically and visually. Each video released in the lead-up to her second album features many little links to one another. The singles for this album were less like chronological releases of songs, but cohesive invitations to the unmissable.

This year’s Valentine’s Day arrived and 'Desire, I Want to Turn Into You' is finally out in the wild. 'Pretty In Possible' follows second and it’s punchy in the most gentle way, an instant earworm with an enchanting melody, time feels to drift away too quickly once it ends. 'Crude Drawing Of An Angel' immerses the listener into the dark with its reverbing chime sounds and haunting vocals. This is immediately combatted by the following track, 'I Believe' providing a UK garage beat, the contrast only works because this is Caroline Polachek and this is what she does best.

Caroline’s first collaboration on an album is sadly very meek. 'Fly To You' features Grimes and Dido, both fantastical artists, but in comparison with Caroline they fade into the back and the whole affair becomes very simple. The album closes with 'Billions', the second single and already deeply-loved song by many. The echoing choir was not just a brilliant end for the song but for this remarkable album as a whole.

★★★★ – Caroline proves she can keep the sensitivity and vulnerability in her vocals whilst delivering a staggering level of confidence sonically. This album is destined to be on repeat for years to come.