On
Californian Soil, vocalist
Hannah Reid takes the reins as
London Grammar's leader and visionary, delivering a confident, dynamic, and feminist set that is the English trio's best to date. Arriving four years after their chart-topping sophomore effort, the album is not a huge departure from the group's brand of soulful dream pop, but with the newfound sonic and thematic focus, the results are brighter, more epic, and quite stunning. Supported by her bandmates Dan Rothman and
Dot Major,
Reid sounds freshly liberated and brimming with confidence, exposing her emotions with vulnerable self-awareness and pushing her vocals to angelic extremes that evoke predecessors like
Dido and
Elizabeth Fraser. Echoes of the latter are apparent from the outset, as "Californian Soil" sounds like a 2021 version of
Massive Attack's "Teardrop."
Dido's folktronica spirit courses through tracks such as the swelling "Missing," the sparkling groover "Baby It's You," and the standout "Lose Your Head," which rides its Balearic beat influences along
Reid's striking layered vocals. On the pulsing "Lord It's a Feeling,"
Reid processes heartbreak through graphic lyrical catharsis before a deep, menacing beat breakdown hammers the pain even deeper. Breakup anthem "How Does It Feel" extends that sentiment, a fine kiss-off that is
Californian Soil's clearest pop moment. Across the spectrum, the sparse "All My Love" draws power from delicate piano backing and
Reid's angelic high notes, a shiver-inducing highlight that could fill a cathedral. Altogether, this meditative journey soothes and nourishes, transforming heartbreak and pain into an opportunity for growth, bolstered with some of the best production sonics that the trio have ever delivered.
Californian Soil is a standout in
London Grammar's catalog and a significant step forward in the trio's artistic maturation. ~ Neil Z. Yeung