You know how most pop albums these days sound like they were manufactured in a sterile lab by scientists whose only concern is optimizing Spotify streams? EXPERIENCE by annu is not that. Not by a long shot.
annu and her music has never really been in the business of making people feel small in the grandest, most awe-inspiring way possible. In looking into her past work, I’ve learned that she’s worked on massive immersive installations with astronauts, crafted sonic landscapes that make you question your place in time and space. And now, motherhood has only deepened her mission. On EXPERIENCE, annu does her best to create art that forces you to be present, to connect, and to just marvel at existence for a second. The production is homespun, but not in a “recorded on a tape deck in a basement” way, but in a way that feels deeply personal, like every beat and harmony was painstakingly crafted by hand. It’s lush, but also intimate, which makes sense because this entire album is basically about motherhood and transformation. It’s almost as if annu made this album like it was her baby, and you could feel that love reverberate throughout all twelve tracks here.
EXPERIENCE by annu is what essentially happens when you take the atmospheric, mystical energy of AURORA, maybe take a dash in the delicate-yet-chaotic sensibilities of early FKA Twigs and then somehow manage to make the result feel both deeply personal and like it was recorded in some ethereal plane that only the artist has access to, plus take the sonic cues and eccentricities of Bjork’s most recent album Fossora. It’s got 12 tracks, each more dreamlike than the last, and it somehow manages to make you feel weightless and emotionally devastated at the same time. Expect ethereal vocals. Expect lush synth layers. Expect textural electronic beats. Expect deeply emotive vocals. Expect an otherworldly experience that’s both deeply personal and galactically huge.
Plus, why stop at just music when you can create a 52-page Augmented Reality booklet to go with it? Each track is accompanied by storytelling, personal reflections, and because we live in the future, interactive AR elements that let you literally connect with the music and visuals. Who needs reality when you can have augmented reality? It reminds me of Because The Internet by Childish Gambino in its multi-media journey. It’s the kind of album that doesn’t just want you to listen. EXPERIENCE wants you to fully absorb everything it has to offer, contemplate your existence, and maybe ascend into another plane of reality. And honestly? Fair enough.
The opener “Time” sounds like being slowly pulled into a cosmic whirlpool of warm vocals and shimmering synths, which is exactly as ethereal as it sounds. If AURORA’s celestial mysticism and early FKA Twigs’ experimental weirdness had a love child raised exclusively on poetry and dream journals, it would sound a lot like this. There’s “Water”, another track highlight for me that somehow takes that whole “floating through space” vibe and dials it up even further, because why not? “Lighthouse” would probably be my favourite of the tracks given its groove which feels both like an homage to late nu-wave sounds as it reminds me a lot of Depeche Mode’s biggest hits, but at the same time updates it to a futuristic degree.
But here’s the kicker: despite all its experimental weirdness, EXPERIENCE still holds true to its best pop instincts. Standout tracks like “Origin”, “Know” and “Find” create and bury earworms into you that feel organic without even trying; the melodic equivalent of hypnosis. They carry the weight of emotion without sacrificing any of their left-field charms. The entire album is dreamy yet kinetic, tender yet commanding. It’s a stunning synthesis of unique musical influences that never feels derivative or anything like that. It’s nothing short of spellbinding.
If you think pop music has to be predictable, EXPERIENCE exists solely to prove you wrong. It’s strange, it’s gorgeous, and it’s absolutely captivating. The album title is very true to itself. It’s definitely an experience, and one that I highly recommend at that.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for publications in the US and former lead writer of Atop The Treehouse. Reviews music, film and TV shows for media aggregators.
