CASEY MECIJA

Psychic Materials

As if her melodious voice, emotive lyrics and songwriting weren’t beguiling enough, Casey Mecija has released her solo debut Psychic Materials with GIF artwork elements, too. Every song pulses with visual life to the beat of memories, mystery and love, and the poetry that so many Ohbijou fans have missed is woven throughout. Psychic Materials is an atmospheric saga that envelops the senses with guitar, synths, percussion and violin. Although the essence of previous group work comes through (the album features frequent musical contributors Jeff DeButte, Heather Kirby, Anissa Hart and Mecija’s sister Jenny) on tracks like “Palms Lose” and “Condo City,” this electro-pop delivery is much more personal — no doubt the product of Mecija writing the entire album alone. The opening verse on “Busted Heel” features a phone-recorded demo of piano and alternate lyrics that lend the song intimacy, and the excellent “Gonna Gun” finds its final form here after being released three years ago by Warm Myth, the project of Mecija and DIANA’s Kieran Adams. But it’s on “Sounds That Mark Our Words” that the album reaches