Bachelorette – Bachelorette

Robot Heart

It’s fitting that Bachelorette’s third album is self-titled. It feels as if Annabel Alpers laid her creation on an operating table, took it apart piece-by-piece, and tried to figure out what it is. Alpers may be the Dr. Frankenstein of electro-pop, and Bachelorette is her monster that she’s desperately trying to control.

Alpers tends to write all of her songs in isolation, and we can feel that loneliness. Songs like “Grow Old with Me” and “Tui Tui” are both tender and enchanting. She flawlessly mixes her soothing voice with wondrous melodies that strike a nostalgic feeling; as if you were reading a children’s fairytale. But then the monster that is Bachelorette turns into an emotionless machine that is both alienating and unsettling.

“Generous Spectre,” for example, is so monotone and distorted that it is neither compelling or relatable. Also, single “Blanket” blasts a boisterous bass that drowns out Alpers’s soft voice so much that she’s practically incoherent. Yet when she is coherent, something tender shines through (“The only way to see you is through the hole in my chest.”)

Annabel Alpers’ greatest gift is also her greatest flaw. The most impressive thing about Bachelorette’s self-titled album is her mastery of electronic composition. This album truly shows you what she is capable of, but at times seems like she’s figuring it out herself as she progresses. It’s almost like a cyborg; and hidden beneath the cold steel is a soul trying to shine through.