Caroline Polachek’s sophomore album, Desire, I Want to Turn into You, is a genre-bending exploration that pushes the boundaries of pop music.
The album is a masterclass in experimentation, with Polachek and long-time collaborator Danny L. Harle weaving together disparate elements of trip-hop, new-age, and Celtic folk to create a cohesive and immersive listening experience.
Desire’s 2019 predecessor, Pang, lusts after the transitory: A siren sailing an Ocean of Tears; a Door opening to another door, to another door. Inversely, Desire concerns itself with more permanent physical spaces. Each track evokes a specific climate:
From sizzling tropical basslines and Spanish guitars, to bagpipes and children’s choirs accented with a British lilt.
Desire sees Polachek crank up her signature brand of ethereal-nymphette-meets-hopeless-romantic to the max. The album’s themes are not akin to a sustainable love story, but rather a violent collision course at the mercy of what Polachek calls a “bratty, messy, slutty spiral” (Vulture, 2023).
Desire opens with Welcome To My Island, a track brimming with brattitude. The song is purposeful in its exaggeration and tongue-in-cheek irreverence. The chorus chimes the album’s namesake, with Polachek’s haunting soprano declaring, “Desire, I want to turn into you!”.
Flowing through the veins of the entire LP is the idea of abandoning one’s self-hood for the pleasure of complete surrender and potential destruction, all in the name of love:
“You are melting everything about me”, Polachek exclaims on the track Smoke. In Blood and Butter, she preaches to her lover, longing to be sustained by nothing but “the sun that’s in our eyes”.
Bunny is a Rider was the first single from Desire that Polachek released back in 2022. The song positions itself as an ode to the AWOL woman, and champions the idea of asserting one’s own agency.
“Bunny is slippery, impossible to get ahold of. Maybe it’s a fantasy. Maybe it’s a bad attitude.” Polachek said in a statement to Pitchfork.
The track Fly To You sees Polachek team up with synth-pop fae, Grimes, and industry veteran, Dido. The result is a considered, evocative marriage of each artist’s styles forged into a down-tempo yearning for a long-awaited reunion.
Closing the album is Billions—a maximalist delight, as visceral as it is delicate. Polachek drops an octave between the first and second verses, signalling a shift from breathy blissfulness to sobering self-awareness. With lyrics like “Salted flavour, lies like a sailor, but he loves like a painter”, she paints a vivid picture, equal parts seduction and anguish as she conjures brash imagery of both seamen and semen.
As with any project in Polachek’s repertoire, her vocals are front and centre – Desire’s production is top-notch, incorporating a cacophony of instruments and meticulously layered sounds to create a complex sonic landscape – But this only punctuates what her voice pierces. Polachek effortlessly soars between falsetto and low tones throughout the album, showcasing her incredible vocal range and versatility.
Desire, I Want to Turn into You pays homage to the transformational nature of love and desire. With her ethereal vocals and innovative production, Polachek creates a dreamlike atmosphere that draws listeners into her world. The album’s themes are universal, but Polachek’s unique perspective and musical style make it a truly original work.
Verdict: 7.5/10
For fans of: Christine and the Queens, Imogen Heap, Grimes, Enya