Bat For Lashes – ‘The Dream of Delphi’ album review: an avant-pop rebirth
THE SKINNY: Like petals sailing in the wind or a ballet dancer floating on air, the new Bat For Lashes album, The Dream of Delphi, is a cinematic feast of poignance and agape love. Following on from her successful 2019 album, Lost Girls, Natasha Khan, the singer-songwriter and producer behind the project, has turned her back on the radio to embrace significant changes in her life.
Lost Girls, like much of Bat For Lashes’ material, arrived fit for the radio with danceable grooves and catchy vocal hooks. In stark and pleasing contrast, The Dream of Delphi aligns with a more grounded set of emotions. During the Covid-19 lockdown period, Khan gave birth to her daughter, Delphi, who has become the central focus of her life and thus creativity.
As she reflects on pregnancy and early motherhood, Khan traverses a broader range of emotions, tapping into her passion for Japanese ambient and French film soundtracks. The Dream of Delphi unfolds with emotional delicacy, intimate candour and a fine balance of cinematic imagery. Alongside the sounds that inspire Khan, visuals seem equally elemental as she channels the rush and crash of the sea in instrumental swells that almost feel like field recordings.
In spite of progressive synth textures, the album’s sonic timelessness coheres with that of the conceptual mother-child bond, breathing a great profundity into life. Khan carries a distinctive style throughout the ten tracks but maintains the listener’s attention with a careful balance of intensity and emotion augmented by using organs, mellotrons, pianos, bass flutes and harps.
For fans of: Spiritual conquest, familial connection, atmospheric soundscapes, and dreaming of a bygone time on a countryside ramble.
A concluding comment from Superhans: “Some of these songs brought a tear to my eyes. I must give the twins a call.”
The Dream of Delphi track by track:
Release Date: May 31st | Producer: Bat For Lashes | Label: Decca Records
‘The Dream of Delphi’: As with all good things, the album begins with a dream. As Khan longs for her daughter, Delphi, we hear rapturous vocals that build with a synth-centric instrumental. In the second half, a heavier beat brings intensity, which is managed by orchestral strings in the alternate version. [4/5]
‘Christmas Day’: This ethereal little number doesn’t even reach the two-minute mark. Even if it is a transitional song, it is a great addition, bringing warm optimism with its placid ambient textures and curious flute lines. [4/5]
‘Letter to My Daughter’: Over another oscillating synth progression, Khan traces time with incisive piano chords and floats above it all with an angelic vocal. The lyrics are rich with beautiful imagery in this unfettered outpouring of motherly love. [4/5]
‘At Your Feet’: The piano work reaches a new pitch in this highlight moment. A cascading melody shows its importance for over half the track before Khan permits her choral verse to adorn the close with poignant vigour. [4.5/5]
‘The Midwives Have Left’: This song could easily have followed seamlessly as a tonal reprise. Again, choral verse trades affecting pulses with piano chords and gently flitting synth tones. [4/5]
‘Home’: The side of Bat For Lashes we enjoyed in Lost Girls returns in this track. The classy, atmospheric edge is retained as a crucial element of this record, but Khan drifts into more pop-conscious territory with a danceable groove and a chorus structure. [3.5/5]
‘Breaking Up’: Like ‘Christmas Day’, this two-minute instrumental is transitional in nature. Maintaining the bright optimism of the previous song, ‘Breaking Up’ recalls the 1980s with intense synths and woodwind melodies. The tone of this piece contrasts with its titular allusion to Khan’s break-up with Delphi’s father. [4/5]
‘Delphi Dancing’: This song bounces along with the curious enthusiasm of a toddler taking its first few steps. This mostly instrumental composition is a spritely collision of rhythmic synths and chiming instrumentals. Khan’s jubilant vocals reflect her reaction to seeing her daughter dance for the first time. [3.5/5]
‘Her First Morning’: This ethereal, ambient track echoes the delicacy of a newborn. The tones are positive, as they should be after childbirth, but steeped in a depth of emotion far beyond ecstasy. [4/5]
‘Waking Up’: This four-minute epilogue hears bold, oscillating synth patterns interspersed with Khan’s operatic vocals. Towards the close, we hear one final flourish of Khan’s Japanese ambient influences before a gradual taper of soft piano. [4/5]
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