U.S. Girls – Heavy Light LP 4AD Records

Recorded live at Montreal’s acclaimed studio Hotel 2 Tango and featuring 20 odd session musicians, Heavy Light is an architectural achievement for an artist whose career began with a 4 track tape recorder and a Greyhound bus pass. Following the subversive sheen of 2018’s In A Poem Unlimited, Remy has taken a deeply introspective about-face to produce a set of mindful compositions on hindsight, the passage of time, the delicate balance of the conscious and the unconscious, and the pursuit of a radical empathy. Remy worked with co-writers Basia Bulat and Rich Morel to develop the core of Heavy Light, a set of songs conceived as a richly arranged balance between orchestral percussion (as arranged by percussionist Ed Squires) and the human voice. In studio, group harmony vocals were undertaken by a cast of diverse singers (conducted by Kritty Uranowski) who lent not only their voices, but also shared reflections on childhood experience. These memories were prompted by Remy in recorded interviews she later collaged into moving spoken word interludes, stitching together the record’s thematic tapestry. The songs themselves provide a sonic departure from those featured on Poem. With arrangements collaboratively spearheaded, the production features no trap kit drums, but a cornucopia of acoustic frequency from vibes, marimbas, piano and upright bass. The resulting album finds Remy casting herself as lead voice among a harmonious multitude.