Hannah Lew’s self-titled debut brings the Richmond, California musician out from behind Grass Widow and Cold Beat, though traces of both remain in its nervous guitars and cool, propulsive electronics. Drum machines, bass guitar and synths drive the songs, while Lew’s voice keeps pulling the bright surfaces toward heartbreak. The writing is direct pop, but the details are stranger than that suggests, with dream logic and fractured images slipping through the hooks.
Another Twilight runs on an Italo-disco four-on-the-floor beat and a single-note synth bass, while Damaged Melody takes its time, stretching an arpeggio before the synths spill over the chorus. Replica has two circling synth lines and a big synthpop lift. Sunday opens with machine-like tones and builds toward a vocal performance that sounds close to breaking. Maryam Qudus produced and mixed the record at Best House in Oakland, adding synths throughout, with Andrew Kerwin on the main guitars and Sarah Register mastering. The final song, The Clock, starts with a sweet, glassy pop melody before turning sharply louder, like a lost Jesus & Mary Chain song rewritten for a drum machine. It’s a strong fit for anyone drawn to synthpop with punk edges, emotional vocals and enough oddness to keep the polished parts from becoming predictable. The paid release includes a vinyl LP.
