Lydia Ainsworth’s Sparkles & Debris

The continued evolution of Lydia Ainsworth is something to behold. Fresh off her most accessible work to date on 2019’s nocturnal Phantom Forest, her fourth album, Sparkles & Debris, provides the clearest canvas yet for Ainsworth’s spectral voice to paint in bold, impressionistic strokes. Living up to its title, songs like the twinkling “Forever” and yearning “Cosmic Dust” vividly explore the ‘90s R&B undertones hinted at in past work to inspired effect, while the absolutely show-stopping “Cake” is a wildly impressive taste of ethereal glam that serves as a quieting sonic centerpiece. Juxtaposed against its strong first half, the potential of some of Sparkles & Debris’ later material doesn’t feel fully realized, but the sonic experimentation that is part and parcel for Ainsworth abounds. This is especially true on her haunting cover of Chic’s “Good Times.” Stripped of its animating guitar, the sharp synth bass provided in its place turns the feel-good disco anthem into an eerie slice of ambient electronica that laments the fleeting nature of pleasure with each passing bar. Moments like this make clear Sparkles & Debris is not just another exciting entry in Ainsworth’s catalog, but the purest realization of her pop vision yet.

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If you like Sparkles & Debris, check out:

• Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush

• I’m Your Empress Of by Empress Of

• “Like I Used To” by Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen

• Wicked City by Jockstrap

• I Feel Alive by TOPS