Rina Mushonga - In a Galaxy

Rina Mushonga
In a Galaxy
2019
Spotify

I'm just going to say it, this album is odd. I went in to it because it was a recommendation based on my love of Roosevelt, but this is entirely different. There is still a synth wave or synth pop element, but Mushonga takes it to a whole other level. This album is far more experimental that what you might think going into a synth pop record. She goes into these places where the music feels light and bouncy, but then there are subtle shifts that add an element of surprise and darkness. There is this throughline of this somewhat anthemic style to this album. Instead of finding little bops to groove to, Mushonga pushes the songs to their breaking point. "Glory_" has strings and an orchestral vibe but it is Mushonga's words about owning her own story that really give the song life. "4qrts" manages to blend it all into one song, sort of taking the entire thrust of the album and boiling it down to it's most luxurious parts. Everything on this record feels just a touch weird, like Mushonga took a really great idea than blasted it through a kaleidoscope. Light and color bounces all over this record. "Atalanta" has this incredible big and boisterous ending that makes you want to put your fist in the air and start pounding as Mushonga sings "You'll be my protector!" desperately crying out for comfort and safety from a confusing and off kilter world.

There is seemingly nowhere this record is not willing to go, evidenced as "Hey Coach" slips in some dancehall for good measure. Mushonga manages to make mundane British life somehow seem exciting and full of color. Her lyrics can sometimes feel a bit mundane, but then the music elevates them to all new heights. It takes the ordinary and makes it feel otherworldly. When you get blasted through Mushonga's multicolored world you can't help but stop and look around with wonder. She doesn't let up with even the last song "Jungles" a song that turns up the synth to full blast and lays out this slick bed for a truly wild track. In a Galaxy feels like it is exactly there, a galaxy that is not our own but eerily reminiscent of where we live. "Good Vacation" lays it out how we are all working our lives away in hopes we find a "good vacation" we can talk about inbetween our next vacation. She portrays a life lived not in service of the self, but in service to the pressure of just living a life. She wants the moments outside of work and the mundane to shine, but it's all she sees. This is a really interesting record and one certainly worth your time, even if it doesn't become your new favorite thing.

7.7 out of 10