Destined to keep the ’90s alive

Lisa Bregneager, a Toronto based indie musician, seems to blend the lines between nostalgic ’80s and ’90s sounds and new age rhythm like it is her job. Her latest and fifth studio album, Holy Flavor, continues the story of Bregneager through her eyes and the love she shares for those around her. Throughout her albums, starting with Downtown Single to her 2017 release of Skin is Soft, Bregneager seems to have a signature falsetto sound to her vocals in all her albums with a quick mix of synth reverbs.

Holy Flavor is eight tracks of melancholia. The album starts with the track “Unless You Want Me To.” The track is slow and steady with building vocals over what sounds like guitar mixed with slight percussion. The track picks up a bit to explain how Bregneager is truly in love with her subject and just wants them to be happy. “Losing It” is an extremely sexy and flowy song with airy vocals. “False Direction,” “Downtown” and “The Sound Of This” are all relatively quiet tracks. Each track is layered with soothing plucking on a guitar with her famous falsetto vocals. Holy Flavor takes a visit to the land of indie rock love ballads with “Straight into You.” This track was the first to be released prior to the album release date and struck a chord with all of her fans. The album can be called a love story of sorts but this song is the perfect example of a true love song. Bregneager gives her soul to the one she loves and this is clearly shown in the songs music video, where images of two women continue to scroll through as the two get closer to kissing and truly declaring their love for one another. The album ends with a track titled “Wild Dog” which is a clear indicator that Bregneager thrives off of the ideas and sounds that were composed during the ’90s. The track combines all the elements of a song that she would make plus a true big city in the early ’90s aesthetic.

UK-based magazine Fame Mag once described Bregneager’s sound as “exquisite and bewitching pop bijou.” Her dreamy tone slides through each track and onto the next to give her listeners an experience of pure bliss. In an album that is heavily instrumental, her vocals outshine competing sounds without question. The relatively new artist is still working to get her foot in the door, but it shouldn’t take long now for this blonde-haired beauty to make the world her own.