Fatigue

by L'Rain

Overview

Taja Cheek's 2017 debut album as L'Rain was an immersive, genre-blending dream sequence that connected sentiments of sorrow, love, and healing through abstract tape manipulations. Cheek named the project after her mother, Lorraine, who passed away during the album's creation, ultimately shaping the record's direction. Her second LP looks both inward and outward, reflecting on personal loss and coping with change in one's own life as well as in a dramatically changing world. The dense, anxious opening track "Fly Die" features a dramatic monologue from Quinton Brock, expressing exhaustion at being held down and living in a society that refuses to be honest, concluding with the question "What have you done to change?" The album's title refers to being tired of constantly dealing with and working toward change, a theme that especially became relevant during the record's production, particularly in the face of COVID-19 surging and Black Lives Matter protests. Even bolder and dreamier than L'Rain's self-titled debut, Fatigue is a stunning collage of lush, ever-shifting textures and ethereal vocals, elaborately arranged in a tape edit-heavy manner recalling the most out-there Tropicalia albums. "Find It" emerges with a comforting, shaker-laden groove, with Cheek resolutely chanting "Make a way out of no way," before dissolving into an ambient gospel breakdown. The gorgeous "Blame Me" mentions fighting personal demons and thinking about "future poison-blooded little babies" as spiraling guitar lines are gradually accompanied by hidden voices and swelling, nearly orchestral instrumentation. The more confessional "Suck Teeth" has knotty time signatures yet goes down smoothly due to her soothing vocal delivery and the song's trippy, fluid production. "Two Face," maybe the album's sunniest, most inviting tune, cloaks poetic lyrics about loneliness and numbness in shuffling, sophisticated rhythms, punchy horns, and echoed laughter. The set is threaded together with brief interludes drawn from home recordings made throughout Cheek's life, capturing scenes she nearly forgot about that she would like to remember forever, including moments of joy and community such as a playground clapping game and a friend belting out a goofy, off-key song she made up. At just under half an hour, the album's running time is relatively brief, but it feels like it encompasses Cheek's entire life so far, and it's a uniquely powerful expression of her uncompromising vision. ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	06/25/2021
Label:	Mexican Summer
UPC:	0184923130911
Rank:	58377

Tracks

1. Fly, Die
2. Find It
3. Round Sun
4. Blame Me
5. Black Clap
6. Suck Teeth
7. Love Her
8. Kill Self
9. Not Now
10. Two Face
11. Walk Through
12. I V
13. Need Be
14. Take Two

Album Credits

Performance Credits

L'Rain   Primary Artist
Jake Sherman   Organ,Clavichord
Alex Goldberg   Drums
Abby Swidler   Viola
Andrew Lappin   Guitar
Ben Chapoteau-Katz   Vocals,Saxophone,Synthesizer
Anna Wise   Vocals (Background)
Tiger Darrow   Cello
Jon Bap   Vocals (Background)
Zosha Warpeha   Violin
Alita Moses   Vocals (Background)
Buz Donald   Drums
Devin Hobdy   Vocals (Background)
Travis Haynes   Organ,Vocals
Taj Sapp   Vocals (Background)
Quinton Brock   Vocals
Mike Stephenson   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Heba Kadry   Mastering Engineer
Jake Aron   Mixing
Carlos Hernandez   Assistant Engineer
Andrew Lappin   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Ben Chapoteau-Katz   Producer
Taja Cheek   Composer,Producer
Gabriel Zucker   Arranger
Slauson Malone 1   Producer
Quinton Brock   Composer