Emotional and intense works of art
Mackenzie Scott, better known as Torres, released her sixth album in January of 2024. The indie-rock singer-songwriter is not new to this genre and has been making music since 2013. Her most recent release, What an Enormous Room, follows her trend of producing solid electronic indie-rock. This album comes packed with ten emotionally driven and intense songs that are sure to wow listeners of this genre.
What an Enormous Room begins with “Happy man’s shoes.” This track begins with twinkling atmospheric notes and a wavering melody. The track is simple but showcases Torres’ ability to create intense feelings for the listener. “Happy man’s shoes” showcases a spoken word break that truly makes this song stand out with its own original sound. The second track, “Life as we don’t know it,” is upbeat and fun. The dissonant vocals add to the intensity of the song. A majority of the songs on this album are upbeat, but this track has certain elements that make it very satisfying to listen to.
As the listener continues on with the album they are met with “I got the fear,” the first song with an acoustic guitar and a slower pace. Despite it being a different tone, Torres remains true to her sound and keeps the electronic drums which allows this song to sonically fit with the rest of the album. The only other slow track (besides the final song) is the fifth song on the album, “Ugly Mystery.” It once again keeps the electronic and intense elements rather than going the acoustic route like “I got the fear.”
Repetition is something that Torres uses quite greatly in What an Enormous Room. This can be heard in songs like, “Collect,” “Artificial limits,” and “Forever home.” The repetition drills the lyrics into the minds of the listeners and forces them to hear the message that Torres is trying to get across.
One song on the album that lacked a bit in my opinion was “Wake to flowers.” The vocals are very prominent as the other instruments are quieter allowing the vocals to shine. However, it feels as though there is going to be a big build-up which leaves the listener craving more, yet it never comes. It is not a bad song, just slightly misleading.
The final song of the album is “Songbird forever.” This is another slow track that does not include drums. Accompanied by piano, it holds the most emotion out of any song on the album. The piano is something we do not hear a lot of throughout the album, making this song stand out. In addition, there are ambient bird chirping sounds in the background of the song that tie the title into what you’re hearing.
For a listener who is drawn to an emotionally intense listening experience, What an Enormous Room is very enjoyable. It is deep and warm with an edge slightly reminiscent of Gorillaz.
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