Electronic music gets a realism wake-up call from Tasmanian-born, Toronto-based songstress Animalia, on her bleak second LP (dissonance).  It is going to be released on April 15th, on Culvert Music.

Right off the bat, Jill Krasnicki bursts into the listener’s ears with “Little Earth”, the first single from the album, with a very unique voice, jumping from little high-pitch sparks to deep, guttural melodies.

The musicality of the LP is fantastic, with strings, thumping beats and varying synthesizers in constant conflict for the listener’s attention.  Jill has poured her heart into each song, singing about pessimism, death, fear and self growth, such as in the second song “Against Nature”, she sings “My heart is the size of a mountain. As I watch myself explode again, I’m trying to be better, I give myself in.”

The second single from (dissonance) is “Paradise”, a ballad written on the subject of gun violence. Animalia’s lyricism is on full display here, with “Ricocheted from a single gunshot, it’s romantic when it’s held by a friend. Your face is silhouetted by the moonlight, this is paradise. Four o’clock in the morning, I won’t remember your name, you’re just another story caught in the headlights.”

The mood turns around with the more upbeat “Face On”, but the themes are still a bit dark, lamenting about hiding emotion towards someone you love.  The listener is transported then into “Fever Dream”, with swelling vocals distorted expertly to express the terror of what Animalia is singing about.

The following song, “Ocean Blue”, is a break from the dark, talking about nature and Jill’s place in it.  The LP is closed out by “Hurting” which shows off Jill’s voice even more and keeps the mood light and joyful.

This is an amazing LP.  Even though it is only eight songs long, the emotional roller coaster that (dissonance) takes the listener on makes it feel a lot longer, and leaves you wanting more.

Photos used with permission, by Neva Wireko