Make Me Lighter is the debut album from South London’s Cheena Monsoon.

By Graeme Smith

Feature photo by Prisca Tozzi

Blending blistering electronica with organic vocals, Make Me Lighter gives us an emotional and unexpected picture. Synth warbles and wanders, interspersed among understated, melancholic vocals while things rise and fall interestingly.

I Feel So provides a stripped-back and striking coda for early highlight Majestic. Ace Queen, which first featured on these pages in August 2024, is intimate and heart-breaking. Autenticidad, which explores the weighty topic of immigration and exclusion, is hypnotic while Kotu adds some Far Eastern flair. Additional vocals add some extra textures to the poignant Fleeting Like Violas and Call Me ‘Til I Die and we get elements of dream pop and shoegaze in Greater Than The Sum of Our Parts. Feel Something proves a groovy final chapter.

It truly is a worthy debut from the Belgian, Lambeth-based artist and producer who takes inspiration from the likes of David Bowie and The Strokes to create music that’s beautifully unique. If you haven’t heard Cheena Monsoon before, this is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted. If you happen to be in London, you can catch him live at The Finsbury on 13 June 2025, then at The Forge at The Lower Third on 4 October.

Make Me Lighter is out now and you can give it a listen below.