Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
It took seven years for Melody’s Echo Chamber to hit the road again. After Melody Prochet’s French psych project released its second album Bon Voyage, which in part chronicled the turmoil and delirium following a near-death experience, she decided not to tour. It was an easy decision after recording such heavy and personal material, and Prochet even speculated that she might not make another album. But on April Fool’s Day of 2023, I watched Prochet take center stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg in support of her third album, Emotional Eternal. In a glimmering, knee-length, gold-embroidered coat, she immediately began to lose herself to the first song of the night, and it was clear she was right where she wanted to be.
Now Prochet invites us to join her in that new, self-assured place for her fourth record Unclouded. The new songs are airy, even minimalist. There’s a weightlessness to these songs characterized by steady bass grooves; strings like a calm, practiced breath; and hypnotic vibraphone flourishes courtesy of Sven Wunder, her co-producer. Wunder’s production here, as on his own work, is inspired by hip-hop percussion and spiritual jazz; you’d be forgiven for thinking you accidentally pressed play on a Khruangbin album at first. The drums take the lead on much of the record, but the flowing arpeggios and psychedelic rock chords that are a staple of Melody’s Echo Chamber are all still here. As the album’s title suggests, the production is clear as a cloudless day. In contrast to her debut’s tendency to drench each track in a thick layer of fuzz and reverb, each element feels isolated and given a moment to shine. On “Eyes Closed,” the vocals are accompanied by only a breakbeat and staticky hum until it becomes a hypnotic combo of bass and guitar solos.
Creating a soothing session of hypnotism with this record is intentional. Prochet was inspired by her work as an art therapist and social worker to create an interpretive space both lyrically and instrumentally. She is less concerned with introspection and personal detail than giving the listener a space to relax, allowing their own imagination to fill in the gaps. On the aptly titled “How to Leave Misery Behind,” Prochet coos a calming salve for the overwhelmed: “Life can see who you arе / Life will take you right where you belong.” Though this reads like a mantra, it’s one of the album’s louder, more energetic moments. The drums play a starring role with subtlety across the front half of Unclouded, but here, session drummer Malcolm Catto is invigorating.
Following two deeply personal albums (Emotional Eternal was a surprising return to music following her new motherhood), there’s an immediate appeal to more ambiguous and interpretable lyrics. However, that doesn’t mean that Unclouded is without its own personal touches. On “Childhood Dream,” sung entirely in Dutch, Prochet paints a picture of a dream world that is instantly recognizable as a mother’s wishful thinking. There are flowers everywhere of different colors; there are family visitors: “Opa in de zon / Oma is d’r ook / Ik ben niet groot” (“Grandpa in the sun / Grandma is there too / I am not tall”). The vision of a nice visit with grandparents and a mother shrinking herself down to see things from a child’s point of view hints at both the artist’s own quality time with her daughter, Alma, as well as the childlike wonder of Hayao Miyazaki. It’s no surprise that Prochet noted the director as an inspiration and even got the title from a quote of his about “seeing with eyes unclouded by hate.”
More than ever before, Prochet’s vocals can be heard clearly. Unclouded presents her voice as if it’s being recorded for the first time. She sounds profoundly exposed above the mix and that’s not a bad thing. Perhaps intentionally, this is also the most clearly she has been photographed for an album cover for the project as well. Prochet stands confidently, guitar in hand, eyes closed and ready to lead the music. As someone who has followed her work for a long time, it’s especially invigorating to see her exude confidence so readily. Still, there is vulnerability in her new stature. Over an entrancing guitar arpeggio, Prochet sings on album highlight “Broken Roses” that she is “on the plane to the golden lake / hear your name burning down my brain.” It’s one of the very few lines on the album that conjures a personal concern for the artist among the placid, therapeutic images. Whose name is it she recalls? It doesn’t matter. Leave your misery behind. Where some of her contemporaries from the indie psych boom of the 2010s might still ruminate on their old hangups, Prochet matures and moves on. It’s not that she’s forgotten her fears in realizing her strengths, but she’s not letting them hold her down. Just like the name suggests, there’s not a cloud in the sky, and a great soundtrack to prove it.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
Unclouded is out now.
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Connor Gilroy | @GilroyMusic
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