Aldous Harding - Warm Chris Review
Harding delivers her most thoughtful work yet with Warm Chris.
Aldous Harding is an odd character. Cheryl Waters from KEXP one asked her if she still had her crazy hat from one of her music video, to which Harding replied ‘Which one?’. It’s this quirkiness that Harding has come to be known by, but it’s her music that truly shines brightest.
Harding is an enigma like no other. Her songs often feel sparse and simple yet hold a powerful captivating quality about them. Warm Chris, Harding’s new record sees the artist’s further refined vision. Most of the songs on this record revolve around Harding’s simple piano based chord progressions, but it’s her wistful vocal melodies that make this an unforgettable record. Warm Chris can seem a little breezy on first listen but it’s gentle folk with a hint of psychedelia is surprisingly prickly and deep.
The album opens to ‘Ennui’ a track that sets the tone for the rest of the record. Spritely piano stabs make way for warm bass tones, baritone sax and Harding’s irreplaceable vocals. Lyrically, this track opens the door to a variety of themes throughout the album. There’s a duality on the record, a sense of dissatisfaction parallel to a cheeky optimism that Harding delivers impeccably.
‘Fever’ is a lush piano track that showcases the pure and gorgeous simplicity in Harding’s song writing. The track is sparse yet warm, Harding’s vocals cold but enlightening. ‘All my favoritе places are bars’ Harding shares, perhaps showing a more bleak side to the artist’s life, or a self-reflection on whether that’s what the artist actually wants.
‘Warm Chris’ the title track, is one of the sweeter tracks on the album. Harding seems at her most gentle on this track, speaking lovingly of a crystal that seems to serve as a metaphor for a relationship in Harding’s life. The track that follows, ‘Lawn’ is another pretty track on the album, which further showcases the effortlessness in Harding’s song writing. At times the song feels almost too simple yet somehow, like much of the album, captures the listener, demanding repeated plays.
On the final track ‘Leathery Whip’ hounding organs bellow a sigh of reflection. On first listen, I was genuinely shocked by Harding’s range, seemingly doing a Nico impression on the chorus. As it turns out it’s actually Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson on vocals for the chorus, serving as potentially the best Sleaford Mods collaboration. The dark gravelly vocals of Williamson fuse incredibly well with Harding’s crystalline falsetto. Lyrically, Harding is most reflective here. The weird tone of the music makes the imagery of life's leathery whip less frightening and more humorous. Pain has the potential to be pleasurable.
On previous albums Harding’s writing has felt darker. On this album things seem to be more of a grey area, fitting well with the black and white album cover.Warm Chris is full to the brim with random, free-association phrases that capture the weird, lonesome resonance of Harding’s vision as a songwriter. It’s shocking how deeply heartfelt Harding makes these songs considering the sparse arrangements and simple chord structures. Harding is truly at the height of her craft on Warm Chris.
