(2023) Liela Moss - Internal Working Model

Review:
With a long and extensive career in the music industry, it is no wonder that Liela Moss is still releasing exceptional and innovative music. ‘Internal Working Model’ is Moss’ third studio record, her first in nearly three years. The result is a record packed with dark timbres, infectious melodies and immaculate production, an almost experimental art-pop record hiding beneath the traditional pop sensibilities of razor-sharp choruses and dancefloor-ready rhythms. Opener ‘Empathy Files’ is a droning, trip-hop laden cut, emblazoned with velvet vocal work. Crushed drums and pulsating synthesisers dominate the low-end, hinting at an almost-industrial club motif; if the groove was sped up it would not feel out of place in a Berlin rave hangar. Piano ballad ‘Ache In The Middle’ is a sombre breath on the record, a timeout from the heavy-synth nature of much of the album. It features French artist Jehnny Beth, who gifts some stellar vocals throughout the track. Smatterings of plucky keys and synths flitter in the background as the track grows and evolves. Though there is cohesion to the record, every track shapeshifts and mutates, Moss dipping her toes into every genre pool but knowing exactly how to refine each one to her own distinct sound. ‘New Day’ builds on a textural sonic landscape, lo-fi aesthetics and organic grain rattling between the speakers. It is reminiscent of Bjork – which is by no means a bad comparison to make. The genre-fluidity of records like ‘Internal Working Model’ make for an incredibly compelling and captivating listen, without being a project which feels directionless or confused. This third record delivers a darker edge than previous effort, 2020’s ‘Who The Power’. The gloss of said album is traded for heavy, crushing tones, but Moss consistently retains her pop power and dazzling songwriting prowess. ‘Internal Working Model’ will crash out of your speakers, a melodic behemoth of industrial-tinted art pop. Moss’ vocals and harmonisations with herself are a masterclass, supported by creative and tasteful production. Modular synthesis and glitchy-yet-organic drums are the engine of the record, the outcome being Moss’ best studio effort to date. — nodepression

Track List:
01 - Empathy Files
02 - WOO (No One's Awake)
03 - Vanishing Shadows
04 - The Wall from the Floor
05 - Ache in the Middle
06 - New Day
07 - Come and Find Me
08 - Welcome to It
09 - Love As Hard As You Can


Media Report:
Genre: art pop, indie-pop
Country: London, UK
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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