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Oct 21, 2013 POLIÇA By Michele Yamamoto

Experimental pop outfit Poliça returns with the unsettling Shulamith, replete with grisly cover art and the video for “Tiff,” which indulges in a twisted self-torture scene with singer Channy Leaneagh. Her dreamy, even, but heavily affected vocals and the underlying dance music belie the darkness surrounding the release—a dynamic the group introduced with their debut, Give You the Ghost. The complexity even extends to the title of the album, which translates to “peace.”

Shulamith opens with the up-tempo “Chain My Name” with Leaneagh asking, “So are we made just to fight all our lives?” From there, the text explores abuse, betrayal, and loneliness in abstracts, closing the album with the words “Me alone is all I know.” These scenes are all set against intricate beat-driven pop and layered synth textures that lean heavily on mood. Coupled with Leaneagh’s sometimes indiscernible vocals, it’s easy to lose the weight of the words to the ease of the music. This is the bipolarity of Poliça.

The work is consistently compelling but dense—not as sentimental or easy to swallow as Give You the Ghost. Shulamith proves a mature follow-up, well worth subsequent listens for the lyrics alone. Standout tracks include “Torre,” with its shuffled percussion and emphatic chorus, lead track “Tiff,” and the energetic “Chain My Name.” (www.thisispolica.com)

Author rating: 7/10