Hannah Jadagu
began writing, performing, and uploading songs as a high school student in Mesquite, Texas, then released her iPhone-recorded debut EP on
Sub Pop
shortly after she graduated. Taking influence from bedroom pop artists like
Clairo
and
Beabadoobee
but also recalling the dreamy, jangly side of '90s alternative, she demonstrated her knack for writing introspective, sweetly catchy songs that address pressing issues and frustrations without getting too aggressive or angsty. Written during her first two years attending college in New York,
Jadagu
recorded her debut album with co-producer and multi-instrumentalist
Max Robert Baby
at his studio outside of Paris.
Aperture
,
's first professional studio recording, feels far more fleshed out than her previous tracks, mixing analog synths and acoustic instruments with distorted guitars and digital programming, adding more weight to her atmospheric sound. Brief opener "Explanation," one of a few songs to question
's Christian hometown upbringing, patiently unfolds, ending with a flash of swirling, submerged breakbeats. First single "Say It Now" expresses tension and anxiety with the aid of an acidic synth line during the song's breezy chorus. "What You Did," sonically and emotionally one of
's heaviest songs to date, is filled with fuzzed-out guitars and brash, scolding lyrics. "Six Months" is a more playful stroll with a touch of Auto-Tune and viola, and "Admit It," the album's only song not originally written on guitar, is an aching downtempo pop ballad. The slow, swaying "Shut Down" addresses mounting pressures leading up to exhaustion, with a chorus ("But I'm not feeling myself") that's refreshing to vent along with. She multi-tracks her voice for dynamic emphasis during the sparse beginning of "Warning Sign" ("When it's oh so loud! Could you quiet down?"), which eventually gains choppy drum programming and trippy effects. The album's drifting, daydream-like closer, "Your Thoughts Are Ur Biggest Obstacle," is about forcing oneself to socialize in an attempt to stave off perpetual self-doubt for a while.
's songs are memorable, creative, and highly relatable, and
is an impressive first album. ~ Paul Simpson