Clairo
's five or so years as a rising, teenaged Bandcamp self-releaser turned social media star included viral songs such as "Pretty Girl" and "Flaming Hot Cheetos" as well as collaborations with fellow bedroom pop phenoms
Cuco
and
Jakob Ogawa
. On her full-length major-label debut,
Immunity
, she maintains a feel largely defined by soft vocals and woozy atmosphere and officially leaves the bedroom behind. Co-produced by
Vampire Weekend
alum
Rostam
, the album's velvety textures sound constructed rather than preprogrammed, and guest
Danielle Haim
plays live drums on several tracks. The record's closer even features a children's chorus. It remains a distinctly intimate affair, however, as established on opener "Alewife." Ethereal, choral-like synths and a sentimental piano chord progression set the tone before a pit-a-pat drum rhythm accompanies
as she recounts a night in her early teens when a friend stopped her from attempting suicide. A song concerned with gratitude more than brooding, its pillow-soft vocal delivery translates to tracks throughout the album, even the alt-'90s-inspired "Bags" and low-key dance-rock of "Sofia." On the latter song, she ventures into melisma, while the spacious ballad "Closer to You" experiments with the Auto-Tune and muffled drums of slow-jam territory. Acknowledging these stylistic variances and subtle production touches,
is nothing if not consistent in providing
's confessional lyrics and seemingly thematically detached vocals with a cushiony-soft landing. What she loses here in charm, she makes up for in lyrical depth and an enveloping sense of comfort. ~ Marcy Donelson