EP Review: First Light

Kiwi soul pop creative Alba Rose has dropped her first international release after relocating to Berlin, the new EP First Light. Gaining popularity as the frontwoman of Corduroy before taking off on her solo endeavours, Rose has increasingly found success on the NZ charts and festival circuit. Now, First Light tells her story of the journey to self-discovery, from darkness to light. It’s as introspective as that theme would suggest, with tinges of psychedelia to each track that makes the listening experience surreal and airy. Inspired by a tough break-up as well as an overseas trip diving into family history, each song explores ideas of Alba Rose’s changing personal identity. This makes for an interesting case study into the real life of the artist behind the laidback tunes.

The Long Road kicks off our travels with groovy percussion and a washed-out hook, making Rose’s voice stretch and shimmer. Its musical influences range from jazz to R&B, focusing on the unique overall dreaminess that defines Alba Rose’s sound. Following track When is a winding number less about catchy melodies and more about the spacious production, which blends the vocals into the instrumental seamlessly. “Thank you for the memories“, Rose croons, calling upon a heartfelt nostalgia that bubbles beneath the song’s tale of moving on.

Sunshine is pitched as a soundtrack for the summer season, but it’s less upbeat and more about its driving bass and layered harmonies than you’d expect. The warm lyrics contrast a cooler sonic direction, which particularly flourishes thanks to the smooth drum beats providing such dynamic range. Deeper, smokier backing vocals also add some interest as the song goes on, making it a standout moment.

Whilst Alba Rose self-describes as an indie artist, most of this EP’s music is much more soul and R&B oriented, with the occasional spark of inspiration from shoegaze or funk and jazz. Home is perhaps one of the more bedroom-pop leaning numbers. Its light synths have a cozy homemade feel and the song’s more stripped back nature hones closer in on the emotional sung performance and intimate lyrics. Interestingly, the EP’s final track is a gentle electronic remix of this track, one that gives it a more skittering, complex feel thanks to fresh production from Kédu.

It precedes the rich, relaxed Freedom, which melds an almost lo-fi trap-esque beat to slick guitar licks well-tailored to the Kiwi crowd. However, this song does highlight one of the EP’s recurring issues. The songs tend to lack the lows and highs that would make them especially singable and distinctive, and when hearing Rose’s gorgeous vocal tone, it seems a shame the melodies never grow and expand enough to put it fully to use.

Nonetheless, as an easy listen for these warmer months, you can’t go wrong with Alba Rose’s First Light. It’s a glossy, lush collection that showcases her changing sense of self beautifully, but also remains simple to vibe out to for those not looking for especially emotionally heavy material. This is a well-made EP that certainly sets a great precedent for Alba Rose’s international career.