Loraine James

★★★★★ Reflection HYPERDUB. CD/DL/LP

Genre-bending digital confessionals that balance truth with hope.

AROUND THE release of her visceral 2019 debut, For You And I, Enfield’s Loraine James highlighted a need – as a young, black, queer woman – for a “safe space”. Then came the pandemic.

Reflection became an exercise in contemplation, recorded in lockdown, that is both brutally honest and beautifully hopeful. An endlessly inventive album, it sets a noteworthy template for modern British electronic music. It’s a succession of counterpoints. On Black Ting, longtime collaborator Le3 bLACK spits grime rhymes over a roaring bass reverb, gunshot percussion and balmy techno. In contrast, Running Like That strides confidently into Jessy Lanza-style alt-R&B, a glorious amalgam of pillowy synth pads, hyperactive beats and Eden Samara’s breathy vocals. From experimental to twisted pop, drill to R&B, techno to ambient, James draws a precise and brilliant musical Venn diagram.