Indians
Somewhere Else
3 1/2 stars
Electro-rock
Locked in synthesized innocence with a sentimental folk lining, Søren Løkke Juul as Indians delivers an aesthetic but familiar debut album with Somewhere Else.
While the album’s 10 songs at times carry the ambiance of a full band, Juul is still fully aware of his limits as a solo artist. Juul explores the boundaries of his versatile synthesizer with songs like the Imogen Heap echo of “Lip Lips Lips” but is willing to revert back to a confident minimalist structure with the hushed “Magic Kids.”
However, on occasion Juul could use some more fuel to add to the fire found in other members. The opener “New” introduces the album a momentum similar to Youth Lagoon’s “Dropla” but fails to carry the song to its fullest. Likewise, the title track concludes the album with a building chant of “somewhere else, you are somewhere else,” conjuring listeners to think are about to launch off with Juul into this “somewhere else,” but the song ultimately fizzles out.
The album reaches a pinnacle halfway through in “Reality Sublime,” where Juul borrows a relaxing ’80s pop beat with a standard drum machine but makes it his own, perfecting a melodic and exciting love song filled with contagious optimism. Juul softly whisks listeners away with a whisper of, “capture myself into your eyes, everything grows we know,” while evocative harmonies romanticize the songs’ rhythm.
The standout is followed by an abrupt but welcomed change in style with “Cakelakers,” a reverberated folk ballad that echoes and polishes the earlier “I Am Haunted.” Though Juul proves he can cross genres, neither step is a pioneering leap.
Nevertheless, Somewhere Else plants Juul in the right footing with a comfortable, satisfying debut.
— Charlie Shelton
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