Ada Lea - “180 Days”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 3 

Pairs Well With…Aldous Harding, Vagabon, Stella Donnelly

My first SXSW 2020 write-up comes from corners both subtle and electric. Ada Lea’s debut What We Say In Private enraptures with spare, emotive ballads, but expands its beauty with psychedelic pop/rock inflections that keep the record diversely interesting track to track. Match the washed-out, New Orleans soul of single “what makes me sad” with softly brooding “the party”, or ghostly, rhythmless “just one, please” to the grungy and intense closer “easy”, and the dichotomy of Ada Lea’s music transparently reveals itself. Regardless of the musical skin, Lea’s songs maintain melancholic heart and personality. The album’s most powerful track is its softest, rawest performance in “yanking the pearls off around my neck…”, a rebirth of songwriting performed as if a microphone was attached straight to her soul. The Montreal-based artist even dips into French on a single version of “the party” - her potential is really limitless given the broad spectrum she’s presented from note one.