Beginning with loose percussion and swanky bluesy minimalism featuring occasional chimes and guitar twangs, “High” immediately shows itself as an atmospherically consuming success. Cali Blake’s range-flexing “hi-iii-iii-gh” hook is effective each time, with the twangy instrumentation and reflective percussion injecting an exotic feel — loose yet self-assuredly in charge of melodic development, in a sort of intoxicated bliss. Based out of New Orleans, alternative/dream pop artist Cali Blake certainly takes a cue from influences like Mazzy Star and Cat Power in her gentle yet simultaneously empowering construction of atmospheric pop magic, managing to pull off moments of undeniable beauty even within skeletal song structures and a minimalist instrumental arsenal.
Stream her new album, Cicadas in the Sun, below:
Cali De La Rosa