Annabel Aplers is the single lady behind Bachelorette who, suitably, records her music in a bedroom, utilizing whatever may be lying on the floor that day. On her newest effort, she delivers like a low-key Florence Welch, without fear of embracing the lo-fi. Vintage synths and drum machines haunt the album’s dreamlike tunes, which alternate between sweet ballads and experimental jaunts, but don’t take away from the earthiness of her voice. “The Light Seekers” bounces along like a nursery rhyme, while the vocal patterns in “The Boat’s Last Leaving” are child-like and playful. Sounding like a skewed version of a gospel hymn, “Waveforms” spirals over a loopy chant that evokes Christmastime. This seems like a coincidence, coming from somebody brought up in Christchurch, New Zealand. If there was ever music to consider post-synthpop, there is no doubting Bachelorette is one of its forerunners, alongside Bat for Lashes and Florence & the Machine. However, Annabel is its queen.
This article appears in May 24, 2011.