Princess Goes – ‘Come Of Age’ album review: the absence of identity diminishes the beauty of nostalgia
Princess Goes‘ most recent release, Come Of Age, presents a deeply complex and utterly perplexing listener journey. On the one hand, it encompasses all the elements of the new wave scene, featuring echoes of David Bowie, Depeche Mode, The Human League, and others, set against a backdrop of synth-pop and psychedelia, designed to expand your perspective and inspire contemplation about the beauty of existence. Everything is within reach, right before your eyes, but for some inexplicable reason, the puzzle pieces don’t quite fit together.
Led by the charismatic showmanship and distinctive vocals of Michael C. Hall, a multi-talented artist known for his roles in music, acting, and lyricism, this promising trio, also featuring keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen and drummer Peter Yanowitz, skilfully amalgamates the finest elements of indie and rock music. Come Of Age captivates with its arrangements, while Hall’s expressive vocals offer a glimpse into life’s most perplexing inquiries.
Nonetheless, there’s a missing element, like the binding glue or the essential recipe steps required to transform these impeccable ingredients into a delectable baked delight. The issue? It’s difficult to decipher why, exactly. Even more baffling is understanding why every song possesses all the elements that typically result in excellence, every nuance that exudes remarkable talent, and yet, while it may ascend to the heights it evidently aspires to in certain portions, it falters in sustaining a consistent and essential cohesiveness that leads to greatness.
Come Of Age is undeniably both accessible and innovative. Every track maintains cohesion, featuring hooks that manage to captivate you momentarily, while the musical arrangements pique just the right amount of intrigue to sustain your interest until the final notes. However, the challenge lies in determining where it all fits when establishing a resonant connection.
Hall’s fervent vocal performance on ‘Blur’ emanates an intoxicating energy, accompanied by a rhythm that promises the perfect soundtrack for any day of the week. Nevertheless, as the song progresses, it somewhat recedes into the background, making it forgettable and less likely to be revisited after completing the album. Similarly, the title track appears to lack the adhesive nature that could elevate the album to greater heights.
‘Shimmer’ also effectively highlights Hall’s vocal prowess and his ability to evoke 1980s-style heartfelt emotion. However, its beauty diminishes due to the song’s apparent lack of a clear direction. Perhaps this is one of the contributing factors to the overall disappointment of Come Of Age: the individual elements, including the arrangements and Hall’s vocals, are impressive in isolation, but when combined, they create a mismatched result.
‘Beija’, by contrast, succeeds in carrying a powerful sense of nostalgia, a quality many of us seek in introspective musical journeys. Hall channels a signature Bowie-style vibrato during the higher notes, but while the magic is present in fragmented sprinklings, it ultimately dissipates into nothing.
‘Saving Grace’ stands out as one of the album’s most poignant tracks, immediately capturing your attention with its stunning opening notes. Hall then takes you on a journey you’re eager to be a part of, and the song’s overall beauty amplifies as it reaches its chorus, creating a seamless and effortless flow for the first time. ‘Whatever Whispers’ and ‘Floating’ are equally sonically stunning in parts, providing a satisfactory conclusion to the album as a whole.
Make no mistake: Come Of Age is not a bad album. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: it showcases so many brilliant elements that it becomes frustrating when it falls short of its true potential. What hinders this project is its struggle to establish a distinct identity. It masterfully incorporates the beautiful complexities of beloved and forgotten musical genres, serving as a love letter to each of these genres, but, in the process, it loses its own unique identity.
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