Originally featuring on our blog through her album AQUARIUM, Irma Vado‘s latest full-length PARADOX sees her changing up her sound.

By Graeme Smith

The Lithuanian singer songwriter caught my attention with AQUARIUM thanks to its varied and expressive composition. PARADOX is no less impressive but stretches the boundaries of what we have come to expect from her. As such, it feels like discovering the artist all over again.

Irma calls the collection a “bold journey through the complexities of the mind and heart” and in it we get a pleasing mix of the cerebral and the emotive. We hear about all the contradictions that make us human through ten tracks of R&B, hip-hop, and something undefinable.

The simmering Situation opens things with a percussive groove and meditative vocals. They brood on being trapped in an unsolvable predicament with a looping arrangement that finally reaches a cathartic climax. It’s an early highlight that sits alongside other highlights: the moody yet vibrant ode to individualism Pause, the laidback anthem Heartbreaker, and the sultry, textured Talk To Me.

They are punctuated by a cavalcade of styles and moods. Oh, Idea is jazzy and soulful while Annoyed is rich with atmosphere and weariness. Floatin’ is soft and lo-fi, Running Out is pacy and punchy, and Safe Out Here smooth and soul-searching. Not Your Home closes the album with a warm reflection. Irma’s vocals are at their gentlest during this delicate final chapter.

Irma Vado is a beautifully unique artist who has a lot to say with her music. She doesn’t mince her words during her extended meditation on matters of the mind and love, and brings plenty novelty to the R&B and hip-hop genres. I’ve got a lot of time for her music. I can’t wait to hear where she takes it next!

PARADOX is out now and you can give it a listen below.