Anna of the North // Lovers

Anna of the North's electropop is crisp and clean but the detached vocals and minimalist arrangements fade into the ether.

Norwegian electro-pop artist Anna Lotterud, better known under the moniker Anna of the North, has collaborated with The Chainsmokers and Tyler, The Creator and has now unveiled her debut solo record Lovers, all crisp production and icy platitudes.

It's easy to see why tyrant-in-chief Tyler was enamoured by her: multi-layered soft vocals, simple electronic sounds, breezy yet poignant lyrics. The blogosphere erupted in applause after first single Sway was released back in 2014 and her gentle synth-pop seemed destined to rank her amongst the finest of the scandi pop canon. After travelling around Australia, she was introduced to Brady Daniel-Smith, a producer with whom she has worked with ever since and whose dreamy soundscapes provide the backdrop for her vocals.

Moving On opens with mellow fingerpicking, easing an ex-flame into accepting their break up, though a lack of emotion betrays one of the most frustrating aspects of the album itself: her remove from the stories she unravels makes it hard to latch onto anything and it all becomes a little 'meh'. As a placating lullaby taken at face value it works, though after repeated listens the overriding feeling is one of detachment, which permeates the majority of the other songs.

Lead single Someone seems like an unabashed request to soundtrack a Made in Chelsea sun, sea and sangria montage, overprivileged toffs frolicking on the beach to the tune of 80s neon-infused synth pop. The production is flawless, cleverly submerging sounds and then curling them up to the fore again and it's clear that Daniel-Smith is meticulous in the editing suite. No stone is left unturned.

At times the duo attempt to infuse some world genres into the mix; at times its a welcome addition to an otherwise dull album. Titular track Lovers has mild calypso influences, a Diplo-esque whitewashing with ping-ponging beats underneath pretty paint-by-numbers lyrics about 'being in the dark' and cast aside by a loved one.

“It's easy to see why tyrant-in-chief Tyler, The Creator is enamoured.”

Always is glitzy and tropical, in the most tenuous sense of the word, but does have a poignant message for anyone who has been sidelined: "I'm tired of being in love/ always in the background", though she doesn't muster up enough bitterness to really evoke the words she's saying.She has a tendency to lock onto one phrase and repeat it into oblivion and sometimes the circular patterns of the arrangements are hypnotic, though here she sounds like a malfunctioning android.

WATCH LOVERS - ANNA OF THE NORTH

The album is bookended by promising songs; All I Want sounds like Time After Time for the internet generation, slowed down and pared back with keening guitars and disembodied vocals, but the rest is pleasant, intangible filler.A mere wisp of a gal, she seems as unreachable as a ghost though that may be the point.

Too many breakup records rely on embittered revenge and blistering heartache; few capture the quiet melancholy that follows after a longer period of singledom.

By Erin Doyle for Avant Garbage