'Starting Now' EP by Idalee (Review)

[yasr_overall_rating]

When you first hear the title track of indie pop newcomer Idalee's debut EP Starting Now, two distinct - and unlikely to be paired - comparisons come to mind. The lush, folksy production, filled with echoing drums and sonorous synths, is reminiscent of Bastille. Idalee's vocals, with their precocious over-pronunciation that sticks out like a sore thumb in the current soundscape of auto-tuned vowels, can be compared to those of Owl City (aka Adam Young).

These comparisons apply to the entire 7-track EP, which its creator describes as "melody driven alt-pop with a folk foundation and charged with purposeful synth." The album's overarching theme? Redemption.

"Let's stay optimistic now," he croons on "Barbarian," an anthem of a track that seems to channel the shout-y success of The Lumineers' "Ho Hey" and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' "Janglin."

The daydream-y "Someday" is perhaps the most pitch-perfect production on an EP that is pristine in this aspect, which is to be expected, since it was produced by veteran indie producer Ethan Kauffman, who also lent his talents to The Killers' Hot Fuss. It effortlessly blends poppy piano and panning synths.

Lyrically, Idalee hits his stride, involving a considerable but not incomprehensible density of words-per-beat, on the upbeat "Fury": "You are the judge, yeah, you are the jury/some people follow, and some people fury," as well as on "Tree Got Rain," which makes nature the so-fitting-you'll-wonder-why-you-didn't-think-of-it metaphor for a love that keeps growing: "Well I can't complain, looks like my tree got rain."

While far from the standout track, "Heal" has a special message. It was inspired by Idalee's interactions with inmates through the Prison Fellowship, and culminated in a music video documentary about the lives of prisoners in Houston, Texas, showing that the album practices what its artist preaches: second chances.