On her latest album new avatar, master genre-twister Kelela weaves a new thread into her moody R&B: rock guitars. Tracks like “idea 1,” “goin down,” and “crystalize” effortlessly layer resounding grunge chords and stadium drums over the singer’s tales of romantic angst, charting a novel course through the artist’s warehouse-y sound. There’s a vintage cool to these songs – a touch of cyberpunk that evokes the edgiest snippets of Y2K culture. “What I’ve done is find my way on a landscape that isn’t typically approached with R&B vocals,” Kelela said of new avatar in an interview with the BBC earlier this year. Come immerse yourself in the dark, elegant, razor-sharp dream this Tuesday. – Katie Hayes
