Ever since debuting with 2019's
Classical Notions of Happiness
, indie singer/songwriter
Jordana Nye
(aka
Jordana
) has garnered buzz for her cozy, yet still danceable "bedroom pop" sound. However, calling the angelically warm anthems that make up her third album, 2022's
Face the Wall
, "bedroom pop" seems to undervalue the effortless craft, wit, and charm she brings to the album. Produced by
Cameron Hale
(
Khalid
,
Claud
) and mixed by
Miro Mackie
Wallows
St. Vincent
),
is a more robust production than
's previous album, 2020's
Something to Say to You
, with a sound that feels more purposefully zeroed in on a professional pop sheen. That's a good thing, and cuts like "Pressure Point," "Go Slow," and "I Mean That" are shimmering guitar-based songs peppered with discreet electronic-flourishes that still evince the '90s artists that
clearly has deep affection for. In fact, much of
brings to mind the kind of ebullient, instant-classic indie pop that filtered through college rock stations in the 1990s. Think something along the lines of
Juliana Hatfield
improbably crossed with
Liz Phair
and
Enya
and you'll get a sense of the giddy, buoyant vibe she captures here. Particularly infectious is "Catch My Drift," a lyrically wry and hooky power pop-influenced anthem. Backed by a wiry guitar arpeggio,
sings "Am I option two?/Do you think it's chill for you to pick and choose?/Could've been kinda nice/But you don't have the time." The song finds
deftly moving between coy flirtatiousness and raw heartbreak, a combination she returns to throughout much of
and which she makes sound like empowered, sugar-driven joy. ~ Matt Collar