“Hit Me Where It Hurts” falls into a natural sway, the most immediately catchy song so far.

Polachek expands on the idea teased in the last task, beginning by asking, “Now, what is this?” and goes on to envision a club closing with fog machines, a rescued robin, skidding tires, and plenty more vivid imagery, with the chorus punctuated by a jarring, distorted drum fill, and ringing like an alternate universe pop song. Out of the blue comes a country tremolo guitar chord, and then Harle promptly steps back in with his usual equipment. The rest of the song limits itself to the resulting sensation, with nearly nonstop repetitions of “ Into me / Pang, and I go / Into you,” with a pause held just a bit extra long to add a little edge that makes all the difference. The opening lyrics are “There’s a look in your eyes when you’re hungry for me / It’s a beautiful knife cutting right where the fear should be,” making for a whirlwind of mixed emotions - desire and unease twisted and blended in a momentary rush. There’s a toy box-type synth refrain and a sweeping chorus, but in an open, uncluttered arrangement. She sings, “ Standing at the gate / I come here every day / Just to see your face,” and ends up consoling herself, “We will be okay.” On comes the title track, and we can hear the influence of Danny L Harle, except a million levels more subdued than his usual brand of lunatic EDM farce. “The Gate” brings the album to a languid start, a brief, surreal intro, with Polachek stretching out and slurring her lines as if she’s struggling to believe them herself.

Harle is as important as Polachek in achieving the sound of the album, and the set of emotionally charged songs about love (before, during, and after) recasts Polachek’s signature sound in a crisp, clean, thrillingly original format.

For the new record, Polachek has teamed up with Danny L Harle of the cartoonish, cultish electronic music collective PC Music. “ Pang ” is her first album released under her actual name, and it is accordingly her most thoroughly realized work to date, showing a voice that was always confidently rising to an entirely new plane.

Discovering the Island of Cuba: Havana and BeyondĬaroline Polachek Expresses Her Voice in a Thrillingly Original Framework on ‘Pang’Ĭaroline Polachek made a name for herself with synthpop duo Chairlift, and has gone on to undertake solo efforts under various monikers, releasing 2014’s “Arcadia” as Ramona Lisa, and 2017’s “Drawing the Target Around the Arrow” under her initials, C.E.P.Aspen: America’s Most Luxurious Mountain Town.Florence, Italy: What to Do and Where to Stay in the Heart of Tuscany.

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