Kelela is a 43 year old singer/songwriter & producer from Washington, D.C. who signed to Warp Records following her debut extended play Cut 4 Me in the fall of 2013 She would go on to follow it up with the Hallucinogen mixtape 24 months afterwards as well as the critically revered full-length debut Take Me Apart almost a decade ago & returning for the sophomore effort Raven. For the past few months already, she’s been teasing her 3rd studio LP by dropping a handful of singles & the main course is here in time for summer.

“Idea 1” blends neo-psychedelia, ethereal wave, shoegaze, dream pop & post-rock singing about existing in this current political climate whereas “Point Blank” combines alternative R&B, UK bass, east coast club, atmospheric drum & bass, Baltimore club and post-dubstep confessing that she’s too spent to weep. “Goin Down” has a bit of an alternative rock flare to it singing about the feeling of there being no way out just before “Outta Time” fuses alternative R&B, neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, UK bass & psychedelic soul observing that time’s running out.

As for “Against Me”, we have Kelela focusing more on the alternative R&B side of things acknowledging the demise of a relationship unfolding in front of her while “Crystalize” concludes the 1st half of New Avatar asking this person why they can’t get things right when she loved them the most. “Retaliation Lullaby” delicately sings about avoiding the loss of sight while “Linknb” mixes neo-psychedelia, indie rock, trip hop, dream pop, baggy, Jersey club, bounce & alternative R&B embracing a new identity.

“Don’t Piss Me Off” brings the drum & bass elements back in the picture issuing a warning to anyone looking rain on her parade while “New Life Forms” featuring Fousheé finds the pair joining forces for a hypnotic alternative R&B duet. “The Bridge” featuring PinkPantheress links up for the ultimate alternative r&b, future garage, 2-step, post-dubstep & dark garage single while “If We Met Again” sings about giving up on this person lying to her.

For almost a decade already, Kelela has consistently proven herself to be an artist pushing the alternative R&B subgenre forward with a short discography. Take Me Apart was my favorite of hers until this point & now New Avatar has taken over that spot for it’s explorations of neo-psychedelia, alternative rock, future garage, dream pop, indie rock, ethereal wave, shoegaze, post-rock, UK bass, east coast club, atmospheric drum & bass, Baltimore club, post-dubstep, neo-soul, psychedelic soul, trip hop, baggy, Jersey club, bounce, 2-step & dark garage finding solace in confrontation.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!