Girl Of My Dreams (Deluxe Edition)

The debut full-length album from Fletcher, 2022s Girl of My Dreams, is a hooky yet emotionally raw self-portrait of the New Jersey-bred singer/songwriter. Known by her last name, Cari Elise Fletcher has come into her own since first grabbing listeners with tracks like 2015s "War Paint" and 2019s "Undrunk." While those songs revealed her knack for transforming her own insecurities and romantic desires into universally relatable pop, Girl of My Dreams goes deeper. Part of this comes from Fletcher embracing her sexuality and coming to terms with her queer identity -- themes that drove her 2019 EP You Ruined New York City for Me and which she further develops on Girl of My Dreams. Its a feeling of revelatory euphoria that drives tracks like "Beckys So Hot" and the luminous pop-punk-meets-EDM of "Her Body Is Bible," the latter of which finds her cooing "I found God the moment that I put my lips on yours." Theres also a sense that Fletcher has been through a few bad break-ups and isnt afraid of examining the ways her own behavior may have exacerbated her pain. On "Serial Heartbreaker" she sings, "Im not the best at breaking up/Too soon to rip the band-aid off/A sucker for the f&$k me up." It doesnt hurt that these moments of unfiltered introspection are matched with infectious, uplifting melodies. Working with longtime executive producer Malay (Lorde, Frank Ocean), as well as collaborators like Jennifer Decilveo and Jesse Shatkin, among others, Fletcher coalesces all of the atmospheric vaporwave and clubby electro-pop that marked her previous work. With Girl of My Dreams Fletcher isnt just yearning for someone to love, shes coming to terms with loving herself. ~ Matt Collar

2018年の"I Believe You"では性的虐待に晒された女性たちをサポートするなど、社会的メッセージも積極的に発信しているアメリカのアーティストによるファースト・アルバム。パラモアが脳裏に浮かぶ"Guess We Lied..."をはじめ、ロック色が強いポップソング集だ。シンプルなコード進行が印象的なメロディーは親しみやすく、クィアな愛も歌う歌詞はモダンな感性が目立つ。全体的に手堅い作品。
bounce (C)近藤真弥