The irresistible Warm Chris is proof Aldous Harding is at the top of her game

Although the approach of this new opus is rather similar to what we know of her, notably by her angelic voice and her universe as calm as sentimental, Warm Chris has its own secrets and particularities. First of all, the latter sounds more pop – a new string to her bow. This was all necessary in order to compete with her fantastic previous albums Party (2017) and Designer (2019), making the achievement of this work even more remarkable.

Produced and backed again by John Parrish (PJ Harvey, Eels, Sparklehorse), Harding looks to push the envelope on Warm Chris with a sophisticated opus that shines with magic. Never before has one of her albums been so vulnerable and reserved.

Warm Chris is built around a wonderfully romantic statement. From the very first minutes of the album, Harding bewitches us on "Ennuie" with contagious melodies or a particularly charming writing accompanied by this jazzy piano. The permanent feeling of lightness and minimalism is not a brake to the sophistication of her work, on the contrary each moment is perfectly animated. This role-playing gains in dimension when Harding has fun confronting several protagonists to build her stories as on the amazing "Tick Tock" and more globally on the whole work.

This album drips with drama, humor, and naturalness, making Warm Chris a sincere take on life. "Fever" interprets a dissatisfied character as blocked by her own barriers, while "Lawn" expresses that it is already too late. The beauty of Warm Chris is found as often in Harding's work in this ability to deliver touching emotions like the masterpiece "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain", when the chills run through your body. To crown it all, Harding picks and uses without complex of fantasies, which makes that we are never at the end of our surprises.