The Oxford-based UK/French artist Julia-Sophie has just released her debut solo album forgive too slow. This comes as a welcome addition to the multitude of successful EPs that preceded this new project.

While forgive too slow has undeniable roots in many areas of electronic and pop music, it is hard to place this album in any single category. Synth, bedroom and electro-pop elements can be heard in droves throughout the album as well as the use of heavy lo-fi sounds. Thus creating an entrancing atmosphere to accompany the solemn and at times gut-wrenching lyrical themes. While it is hard to categorize this style that Julie-Sophie has carved out for herself, it is reminiscent of the many great electronic acts of the early 2010s. Some have made comparisons to Grimes and FKA Twigs, yet its dreamy synth pop-ness feels closer to acts like Phantogram and Flight Facilities, even LCD Soundsystem at times, albeit with a darker tone. Specifically the third track of the album “lose my mind,” harkens back to this era of music and breathes into it, new life.

The themes of this album are heavily centered around the pain of heartbreak and longing, as well as a relationship gone sour. Lyrics throughout the album deal with the speaker talking to their ex-partner and trying to come to terms with the emotions they are feeling, and the anguish and longing they are left to deal with. The vocal delivery at times recedes into spoken word and always matches the vibe of someone reflecting on their life while laying in bed staring at the ceiling. This is the essence of bedroom pop, the production, the subject matter and the delivery all point towards an intimate and homemade feeling.

As the audience goes deeper into forgive too slow they will soon be met with Sophie’s expertise in aggressive and fast-paced electronic drum beats. The drum tracks in the album are easily its most experimental element and never seem to disappoint in the album’s 42 minute runtime. The third track “lose my mind” goes haywire at its halfway mark, turning into an industrial cacophony in the best sense of the word, giving its audience layers and layers of percussion to sonically sift through.

Other highlights of the album include tracks five, “falling” and six, “comfort you.” “falling” includes very effective vocal sampling achieving a choppy and hypnotic effect. “comfort you” matches smooth lo-fi ‘80s synth matched with unrelenting percussion.

forgive too slow is a fantastic debut from an exciting young artist who has a lot of ideas to further explore in their future releases. This album has a jarring yet mesmeric quality to it, leaving the listener wanting to start over from the first track after finishing.