Rachel@Fairyland

Despite earning critical acclaim and a Top 20 chart entry for 2018s excellent Someone Out There, Rae Morris was subsequently dropped from Atlantic Records, the label shed been with since the age of 19. Over the next few years, the Blackpool native largely backed away from the spotlight, starting a family with her romantic and creative partner, Benjamin Garrett (aka Fryars), and re-engaging with the core tenets that led her to music in the first place. Working at home at her own pace and with a newfound sense of freedom, Morris teamed with Garrett and their friend Sean OHagan (The High Llamas, Stereolab) to assemble a set of songs that delved into her past while simultaneously forging ahead with a bold new sound. Named after her childhood Internet handle, Rachel@Fairyland weaves a rich tapestry of romance and old-world grandeur with the pop sensibilities and syntax of the present day. Leaning on art pop forebears like Bjork and Kate Bush, Morris songs lean toward the cinematic with lush orchestrations and whimsical sonic adornments that place them in a timeless liminal zone that is familiar but still boundary-pushing. Lilting opener "No Woman Is an Island" directly confronts some of the traumas endured during her tenure at Atlantic (she is now with another major label, RCA), but more often than not, Morris takes a breezier romantic tone, especially on cuts like "Better Man," "Running Shoes," and "Table for Two." As on her two previous albums, she brims with character and personality, whether its the dreamy "Spitting from the Top" or "The Carrot," an inescapably quirky pop cut with a hooky sing-along chorus. One of the most unique things about Rachel@Fairyland is the way it evokes both cozy domestic tranquility and wild imagination in equal measure. Its Technicolor arrangements and ambitious scope give it wings, but the subjects are often much closer to home. Only three albums into her career, Morris continues to evolve significantly with each one. ~ Timothy Monger