»I’m scared / There’s so many options«—the opener »me & who?« speaks of decision paralysis in dating. But that’s about all you get on the first pass. With a Helen Island release, clarity rarely comes right away. Léopold Collin’s filtered voice—he also records under various experimental aliases—serves mood over message. True to the Knekelhuis label, a shroud of fog allows fragile melodies and hooks to unfold in private.
What emerges from the haze is elusive yet timeless: weird ballads, lo-fi trip-hop, ghostly dream pop, beatless trance. It’s like blown-up synth-pop, stripped to the bone—Collin could ghostwrite the next Weeknd hit, only to derail it completely. »i know 3 45« floats with chipmunk vocals in digital shadows, while »it’s going better« pounds with sharp ’80s drums. And still, these disparate styles flow together seamlessly, forming a lo-fi mixtape with a distinctive, if scribbled, signature. You can’t look away.
