Vérité - Somewhere In Between

Vérité
Somewhere In Between
2017
Spotify

I've written about Vérité before on this blog, mostly with good things to say regarding her super stylized version of pop. Her music is dramatic from the start with throbbing swells of sound paired with her sweet voice. With stellar covers and many solid singles under her belt it felt like this was Vérité's moment to completely take over. However the album often falls short of those expectations. I am not saying this record is bad, it just doesn't bang like one would have hoped. "Death of Me" feels like a great example, because it has a nice beat and some bigness to it but it never goes all out even as Vérité somewhat screams the lyrics at the end of the track. This happens so many times on this record where the promise is there but the delivery doesn't quite live up. Lana Del Rey is the first name that springs to mind when you think about Vérité's sound but Vérité is much more glitchy and alt-pop rather than the somewhat decadent style of Lana. "Bout You" is another track that feels all to similar to all the rest to really standout, but then a song like "Better" comes right on it's heels and you remember why you liked Vérité in the first place. The record just doesn't have that unified punch that would put it over the top. When she really locks into that sound, look out, but she just doesn't do it enough on this record.

Her career started with real edge; a girl with a sweet voice and aggressive super modern production, but that feels missing from this album. Either time caught up to Vérité or the other way around but at some point she lost what made her so distinct and singular. One of her best tracks "Underdressed" showed some vulnerability, but this album seems more focused on empowerment which doesn't feel personal at all. If she switched it up or tried something new at least once on this record it could be so much better. It is just confusing to go this middle of the road for a debut album. "Somewhere In Between" is a late standout but does not move the needle enough to really make this record shine. I just really wish this was better because it seems that Vérité's skill deserves that, but this record just falls to short in far to many ways. Hopefully she pulls it together or figures how to tear it all apart before we hear from young Vérité next. I think there is still plenty of hope.

5.0 out of 10