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April Harper Grey had somewhat of an artistic breakthrough in 2023. The dynamism displayed on ‘Wallsocket’ was one of the record’s biggest perks. Shifting gears was made to seem effortless, and seemingly it was soundtracking an equally volatile storyline. The buzz this generated for April landed them squarely in the sights of an increasingly ravenous alternative music fandom. It made her the new rising star of an ever-developing hyperpop oeuvre. She was pulling liberally from the hallowed halls of lo-fi indie rock and punk, branching into formats that clearly had shared interests, but were simultaneously applied in such an almost callous way that the audacity became the point.
This makes Grey’s latest offering a weird case to examine. Gone are the odysseal genre-benders, the surreal bangers and demented balladry. Replacing those instead are a set of tracks that, while they are certainly very bubbly, very spritely in the kind of awkward way you’d expect them to be coming from April, there is a noticeable retreat here. It’s almost as if she desires to prove to us that she can be more cohesive in her approach to songwriting, yet it does glaringly sacrifice a major aspect of her skillset: absurdity. The one track-minded themes of love and lust usher in some familiarity, a more unified expectation for the listener. It is admirable in its own way for April to defy the first impressions of her sophomore release in lieu of something far more accessible. She hasn’t really lost any of her sharpness, particularly as a hook writer. It is a little strange though, as a follow-up, to opt for not only brevity, but safety. I understand that art doesn’t always have to be about incessant expansion. I suppose my ultimate feeling walking away from ‘U’ is that it plays like a mostly solid EP, like it’s acting as a breather between two larger, more complete projects.
For all of my whinging about the direction taken, I still have a soft spot for a handful of moments. “Tell Me (U Want It)” pulses with a lascivious desire for reciprocation. Brostep-inspired synth work grounds it in Grey’s territory though, making it one of the bolder cuts from a production perspective. Similarly, “Music”’s elongated chorus melody feels like it’s soaking every little butterfly and daydream in. Euphoria lands amidst a flurry of laser-like synth harmonies on the backend. “Do It” pulls from Y2K-era pop music in its incorporation of rhythmic acoustic guitar, fusing it to a restless modern context. It’s in moments like these where April nods towards an invigorating future in her discography.
‘U’ might be the album that is most likely to broaden April’s scope of visibility. Ultimately, if it gets more ears on her work, then that is far from detrimental. Does it make for a release that can equalise with its predecessor, or even surpass it? In my opinion, it would be crazy for me to say “yes”. Does it showcase April in a different, but nevertheless still suitable bag? Of course. She won me over fully with ‘Wallsocket’, but she hasn’t lost me with her latest. I just don’t want April to become complacent going forward. It’s fine to prove that you can tone things down, but I believe that people will stick around for the meatier endeavours as well. Something rare was tapped into going on three years ago now, and it would be a shame to put a lid on that Pandora’s box permanently.
Dan Will Review 