Molly Burch – Romantic Images (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Molly Burch – Romantic Images (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 33:32 minutes | 691 MB | Genre: Indie Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Captured Tracks

“I wanna try harder / To love myself like I would another,” Molly Burch sings on her captivating new album, Romantic Images. It’s a notion that lies at the very heart of the record, a guiding light to which Burch returns throughout the collection as she sheds the anxiety and insecurity of her twenties and embarks upon a bold new chapter marked by a radical embrace of herself and her womanhood.

“I wrote most of these songs in the months leading up to my 30th birthday,” Burch explains, “so I was doing a lot of reflecting on growth and change. Sometimes it’s only in hindsight that you can realize how far you’ve actually come.”

Indeed, Romantic Images marks a distinct evolution for Burch, both emotionally and sonically. Recorded in Denver with Tennis’ Alaina Moore and Pat Riley producing, the collection celebrates the timeless delights of a well-crafted pop song, flirting with Blondie, Madonna, and even Mariah Carey as it forges a joyful soundtrack to liberation and self-discovery. Burch deliberately worked with more women collaborators than ever before on the album, and the results are transcendent, reveling in the passion and the power of the divine feminine. Written with the live show in mind, the collection prioritizes ecstasy and escape, and it’s easy to hear Burch’s commitment to collective catharsis in her lifted, airy delivery, which manages to exude both thoughtful introspection and carefree abandon all at once. The shadow still lurks on the album, to be sure, but the light ultimately wins, as it always does when we’re brave enough let it in, and the result is an intoxicating collection all about coming into our truest selves, an honest, uplifting testament to the comfort and strength that comes with learning to look in the mirror and love the face staring back.

Texas singer-songwriter Molly Burch has been bubbling under for a few years as a critical darling who feels perpetually on the verge of breaking through to the big time. It should happen with Romantic Images, which feels like the right record for right now; these 10 songs are possessed with a chilled-out enthusiasm the world needs. Burch’s voice is a drug that relaxes without putting you to sleep, tumbling like some smoky and elegant liquid (maybe a cinnamon-spiked brandy cocktail?). Her jazz training renders the oh-oh vocalizations and lilting trills as part chanteuse, but there’s plenty of disco diva here too. Enjoy shades of Kylie Minogue’s mirror-ball cool on “Games,” high-flying Blondie attitude on the dancy “Took a Minute,” and the Cocteau Twins’ deep-sigh ambience on the title track. The band Wild Nothing backs Burch on “Emotion” for a disco-dream-pop treat, all crisp and snappy rhythm bolstering a slinky melody. “I don’t know why it has to feel like this/ It’s like it’s weighing on my heartbeat heavy/ And anytime I try to make sense of it/ Keeps on coming like a floodgate, honey,” she sings. Who knew confusion could sound so clear-eyed? Burch worked with Alaina Moore and Pat Riley of the band Tennis on production for Romantic Images, and you can feel their smooth influence on tracks like the gently bouncing “Honeymoon Phase” and raised-eyebrow flirtation of “Heart of Gold.” (“Secrets under all my intentions/ I know it’s bad but I never learned my lesson,” Burch coos.) An unexpected sexy side reveals itself in the R&B mindset of “Easy,” and the whole thing wraps up with “Back in Time,” a breathy delight that’ll neatly tide you over until the next Florence and the Machine record. “I want to be careful and kind,” Burch sings. Yes, please. – Shelly Ridenour

Tracklist:
01. Molly Burch – Control (03:17)
02. Molly Burch – Games (02:55)
03. Molly Burch – Heart of Gold (02:51)
04. Molly Burch – Romantic Images (03:13)
05. Molly Burch – New Beginning (02:49)
06. Molly Burch – Took A Minute (03:13)
07. Molly Burch – Emotion feat. Wild Nothing (04:07)
08. Molly Burch – Honeymoon Phase (03:36)
09. Molly Burch – Easy (03:00)
10. Molly Burch – Back In Time (04:26)

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