Born in California but raised in New Zealand, Wellington-based singer and songwriter Alma Leta (the nom de plume of Emmanuelle Alma-Rose Baur) has worked with one of our favourite antipodean producers Nik Brinkman to bring out an enchanting and ethereal debut album ‘Time Of Our Lives’, out today.
The album is a deeply personal reflection on Leta’s life. She says:
This album is an ode to my twenties. A love letter per se but also a forgiveness of myself and others. A moment to relish in everything it has brought me so far. The first half is a leaning into innocence and the second is a pivot away from it. It is a tender acknowledgment of growth and change and how beautiful, yet painful that is. With this intimate collection of songs, I really sought to channel every quiver of depression, flicker of beauty, breathtaking heartbreak, and all the precious, swollen moments that soak up our twenties – the time of our lives. Every song was brought to life and gifted wings by the exquisite soundscapes of Nik Brinkman.
Indeed, with Brinkman’s hand on the tiller, the result is something quite lush and majestic, born on Leta’s exquisite gossamer vocals.
Opening track ‘Orange Juice’ floats on dappling instrumentation with a melancholy blush and deep pop sensibilities. The production is crystalline – sparkling and full of hidden layers that glow. Leta’s vocals caress and enchant with lyrics that are personal and raw – whenever I miss you I’ll be in my room dancing alone naked listening to your playlist. The clatter of a film reel at the beginning and the end emphasises the poignancy, of a rose-tinted view of the past.
‘Crashing’ continues to bleed with a sense of yearning and Leta’s voice at times reminds me of the late great Dusty Springfield, with a soul inflection. Leta says of the track:
Crashing is dedicated to someone very important to me who has struggled with a health condition throughout her twenties. She has been such a precious, and pivotal person in the shaping of my own life, it feels only right that she has her own song, her own chapter in this album. This person is the strongest, most inspiring person I have ever met and I love her deeply. She has had to overcome more than your average twenty something and has pushed herself to experience this decade in the most expansive, whole-hearted way and has done this incredibly well but I know her heart aches a bit for things that felt too hard and grieves things that she feels she has missed. She is always kind, warm and light despite her complex inner universe and the adversity she has had to endure. This song is for her so she hears that it’s ok to be sad, it’s ok to not feel like dancing, and the world is already basking in her greatness.
It’s a spine-tingling track that has a cinematic hue and a wide open horizon.
‘Cross My Heart’, co-written with Brinkman, is a moving reflective shimmering track with crystal cut guitars that splash in the background and, again, showcase’s Leta’s stunning vocals and word play – cross my heart, I wont break yours. ‘Loneliest of Generations’ captures the zeitgeist with its observational lyrics about loneliness and isolation with a contemporary and raw feel that is redolent of Lorde – Leta’s delivery almost whispered and ethereal.
‘Long Beach Freeway’ is a brief instrumental interlude with its talking in the distance giving it a haunting ghostly feel. ‘Pure Sex’ is imbued with a melancholy yearning – heralding Leta’s description of the second half of the album as being more about experience rather than innocence with a paean to love, lust and desire. it is a song that floats into the sky – never touching the earth but rather floating like a silk scarf caught in the breeze.
‘In The Light’ evokes Lana Del Ray with its wry, literate and eloquent look at life while ‘Pulling Wings Off Butterflies’ creates a more intense air with glorious harmonies and a delicate melody, Leta’s vocals again like a silken caress. Final title track again coasts on Leta’s velvet vocals and layered instrumentation that sparkles.
‘Time Of Our lives’ is a shimmering jewel that sparkles and shines throughout, resting on an immersive instrumentation and production that highlights Leta’s exquisite vocals. Her voice is soaked in poignancy and melancholy, sweetened by a sense of resilience and inner strength born from growth and experience. It is quite a stunning debut.
It is out now and can be downloaded and streamed here through the link below.
Feature Photograph: Timothy Baur
