Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You Review

Caroline Polachek gifts fans with one of the best art pop records of the year.

After a four-year excursion filled to the brim with multiple singles and collaborative work, NYC born Caroline Polachek gifts fans with a diverse second studio album: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You. Polachek’s 2019 debut album Pang houses the revered track So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings, with over 75 million streams on Spotify. 

After a four-year excursion filled to the brim with multiple singles and collaborative work, NYC born Caroline Polachek gifts fans with a diverse second studio album: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You.With multiple themes from violence and sexuality to femininity and religion, one main inspiration shines throughout not only all tracks: escapism. The album cover reflects this too, with the subway fading into a sandy beach and with Polachek looking determinedly out to the unknown. Polachek’s curiosity and longing for a connection with the natural world are not only juxtaposed in the album cover but in each track.

The first track- Welcome to my Island- could theorise the sand on the subway could lead to this island she sings about. The nature-centred imagery juxtaposes with the heavily synthetised electronic instrumentation, providing a blend of the two ideas that listeners become aware of in every track.

This is then followed with Pretty in Possible, which shows off Polachek’s impressive vocal range, with swoops and trills reaching into almost whistle tones. The percussion in this track- and multiple other times in this album- have an almost ancestral or primitive sound to them, which will undoubtedly make minds race to the soundtrack of HBO’s The White Lotus- a show which many Polachek fans are citing when talking about the vibe of the album.

Polachek utilises her vocals in ways that traditionalise the overall sound, with oos and whistling, which serves as another example of contrast against the modern computer-generated sounds we hear. The next track Bunny is a Rider uses this technique too.

A beautiful, sensual reverie comes next in the form of the preceding two tracks: Sunset and Crude Drawing of an Angel. Listeners can hear influences from the flamenco genre in these tracks; the acoustic guitar, coupled with claps and ‘heys’ from Polachek strips the sound back and shows off her impressive sonic range to produce a welcome break from the heavily synthetic midi sounds we have grown accustomed to.

In both Crude Drawing of an Angel and the next track I Believe, there are moments when we hear a spoken voice, barking orders such as “on your side, on the carpet” and “look over the edge”. The ambiguity of whether this is Polachek’s voice or someone else’s adds to the cerebral nature of this album. The voice demanding positions of her to seem more desirable is an extremely common battle in AFAB people, by not only peers but from their subconscious.  

The following tracks Fly to You (featuring Grimes & Dido) and Blood and Butter provide good contrast. Hyper-pop inspirations shine through in the former, and listeners can hear both Polachek and Grimes’ musical motifs work in tandem with each other. However, in the latter, the stripped-back instrumentation returns. This is also seen in the ninth and tenth tracks Hopedrunk Evening and Butterfly Net.

Then, the electronic dance elements return for the final two songs Smoke and Billions, with pulsating percussion and booming bass making them fit right into a dark underground nightclub setting. Choral backing vocals- like what we hear in Hopedrunk Evening- are heard in the closing track, repeating the lines “I’ve never felt so close to you”. The line is sung polyphonically, therefore providing a unanimous experience; it shows that love is universal, no matter who or what for.

The entire album is comprised seemingly like a rollercoaster, constantly going back and forth between these two contrasting genres. Thematically, Polachek seems to construct an argument about the longing to connect with nature despite all of us being trapped in a capitalistic, selfish, uncaring society. To go back to one’s roots is a desire felt by many, thus it makes sense as to why this is a possible motive for the swinging back and forth into different opposing genres; to represent the need for escapism. 

Ideally, if each track was a blend of the two, it could’ve been more effective, but it feels slightly jarring and each track feels incongruous to its predecessor. Nevertheless, Desire, I Want to Turn into You is a worthwhile listen and provides a thought-provoking experience for all.