Wasia Project, a sister and brother duo, released their newest album, Isotope, August 29. I have been a long-time fan of Wasia Project and have been impatiently waiting for the album, and let me say, it did not disappoint. Similar to other artists including Laufey or Mitski, I can always count on them to
make amazing music. The album contains 7 songs, some being instrumental, a few quiet and calmer and others exciting and full of adrenaline. The lyrics continue onto the storyline and emotion of each song helping the album's development grow and connect as each one starts and finishes.
The first song starting the album strong, "Is This What Love Is?" opens up the album with a much noticeable upbeat rhythm. Listening to this song for the first time gave me reminders of what it is like to go on a long run until your body begins to feel unreal or as if it is going to ascend into the sky. The question repeatedly asked throughout the song, "Is this what love is," followed by descriptions of what love could be helped build the base of what the album is going to be about. Listening to and reading the lyrics, gave me the understanding that the emotion of the album intended to be given off is a sort of misery, meanwhile, the song had an exhilarating feel to it. As the song ends, the instrumental fades out leading to the next one in line.
"Takes Me Back Home," begins with a greatly different sound and emotion from the somber sound and lighthearted lyrics, whereas the previous song was the complete opposite. The female singer yearning for someone, specifically who can be assumed to be her lover she is reaching for but cannot seem to have once again. The feeling of having the safety and comfort with someone and later growing away from them and looking back on only the memories you were left with. A sensitive topic to those who could have lost someone they were highly compatible with and now only rely on those memories to give them hope that one day there will be someone else to fill the sorrow they have left.
Isotope (Interlude), is met with the reoccurring fade away and in. The interlude is a helpful and needed break from the tears shed and the emotional damage that could definitely be received from the previous two songs. The song is a very calm instrumental and Lofi-type song that could be added to a study or homework playlist. The interlude reminds me of "Pink Matter" by Frank Ocean and gives me a greater reason to have enjoyed this song. Unfortunately though, unlike the previous transitions, there is no fade out but instead an awkward immediate mood change. But despite this, even though the song is an interlude and lacks words, it was a great song that will help me relax after a long day.
Revisiting a familiar upbeat tone from earlier in the album, "Somebody Come Through," quickly changes the feeling from being full of sorrow to adrenaline. Similar to "Is This What Love Is?" the song has a motivating and active feel to it that would fit right into my running playlist. The lyrics tell the story of yearning for a new romance but finding yourself in the same loop unable to retrieve that love. It comes in close competition with "Is This What Love Is?" for my favorite song on the album, but in the end I think "Somebody Come Through" takes the win. Returning the fade out into the next song, the fade also takes the role of my favorite transition between songs.
"To Get Better" is the next song that follows and like the name, it starts somewhat decent and does get better. The start of the song was very nice with the transition and first introduction of the male singer but as it made it to the two-minute mark, I became somewhat bored as it continued. The song just seemed like it didn't have much to give until specific moments. The lyrics I did enjoy throughout the song and I did take close to heart as they went on and sang about feeling out of control and eventually growing to have the ability to open up and work on yourself. I get looped back into the song at around three minutes and 40 seconds of the song as an echo sound and the addition of the female singer are put in. The ending helps redeem and becomes my favorite part of the song and highly increases the likability and follows up one time more with the fade-out transition.
The song without a title, only "..." helps bring the album to a close end. It brings back the calm sensation from earlier with the Interlude and gives a small break before continuing with the final song "Tell Me Lies (fin)" which was the best way to close off an album. It started as a quiet piece and had me with the expectation that was how the album was going to end. The song grew in dynamics and had me hooked. The loud orchestral ending had me feeling like I had just lost the love of my life and nothing would ever get better. It has such an emotional feel to it which was the sweetest cherry on top of a cake. I felt like I would just burst out into tears in the best way possible. I am a sucker for good orchestra pieces and Wasia Project met exactly what I was looking for.