“Quirky” has developed a bit of a negative connotation lately. Or maybe it’s always had one? Either way, I feel bad that it seems the obvious note to start on with Eliza Niemi’s sophomore album, Progress Bakery; even its charming title evokes the peculiar feeling of basking in the glow of yearning, despite the knowledge of the laborious kneading that growth requires.
As an artist, the Toronto multi-instrumentalist’s idiosyncrasies and dry wit stand at the forefront, with her topsy-turvy melodic adventures prone to singsong-y refrains and deadpan plateaus in equal measure — and often within the same song. A full-length, then, becomes a fantastical journey through magical mundanity, like the “Tampax Pearl-blue shirt iridescent” line on jaunty single “DM BF.”
Niemi is indeed a magician of sorts, with an incredible ability to reframe a scene that isn’t actually what it appears — wait, or is it? On Progress Bakery, she pushes the boundaries of her thought experiments, whether it’s by way of the sawtoothed punk rock freneticism on “Wildcat” or the minimalist synth-scaping of “Green Box.” It feels like the perfect album to coincide with the beginning of spring and the endless possibilities the thaw seems to signify.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Be the first to comment