Staff Picks: Cate Le Bon - Pompeii

For fans of: New Developments in Idiosyncratic Art Rock

What they're saying: Jenn Pelly at Pitchfork praises Cate Le Bon’s ability to integrate disparate sides of her musical persona: Le Bon collages the saxophones and bass grooves of Pompeii into a heady harmonic mix of psychedelia and pop, awe and bewilderment, amplifying both her criss-crossing inscrutability and the inexhaustible pleasures of clarity.” Paste Magazine’s Matt Mitchell had this to say of the record in his highly positive review: “On Pompeii, Le Bon is direct and poignant, honing in on a polished sound while using classical, tragic influences to help her make sense of the urgent, unfurling present.” And Stereogum designated Pompeii it’s record of the week, with writer Chris Deville commenting: “It sounds like the artiest, most idiosyncratic new wave hits of the 1980s reflected back in a funhouse mirror.”

What we say: Our Welsh goddess blesses us with her covid-era album and it is so damn good. My brain is now permanently haunted by the titled track "Pompeii". -K