Words: Milly McMahon

Kelela, née Kelela Mizanekristos, releases her hugely-anticipated debut album next Friday (October 6). Entitled Take Me Apart, this deeply personal set is a love letter to boss women everywhere; those that take risks, fall deep, and aim high. Speaking from a place of liberated freedom on the beauty of independence and ambition, Kelela retells her life lessons learned, track by track, on this prolific body of work. Take Me Apart is a unifying movement in music, constructing a complex and hypnotic sound, twisting and turning in fidget-heavy, electronic affections which heighten the immersive experience of the album’s musical progression; Kelela is deep in her own, self-constructed, non-genre. 

Drawing from intimate experiences and philosophies, on record, the 34-year-old artist will not suggest the need for, or ownership of, a partner to explore her identity of express passion. Warping perceptions of time through rhythm, layering atmospheric reverberations over echoing vocal crescendos, standout moments on the 14-tracker are typified by the accomplished production standards; tracks “Turn To Dust”, “Enough” and “Truth Or Dare” demonstrate Kelela at her finest. On a level, accessible through her lyrical vulnerabilities, a fragility swims throughout the Warp-signed musician’s wide ranging, rich tones. Here is an artist who sings from her soul, detailing diary-like moments shared with understated self-assertion; hope rises and falls throughout. “Jupiter” takes influence from ‘90s R&B, chopped and screwed to Kelela’s signature aesthetic, while “Better” illuminates her ability to switch up the sound, transforming her lamenting, dulcet-like lullaby to an unshakable power anthem in one single breath. 

Playing through this album allows for a moment in the gentle subconscious of the singer. Uncensored and candid, the LA native contemplates her failings, strengths, frustrations, and choices. She’s focused on shifting perceptions of her sound and pushing the audience to engage with an open mind to her 3D aesthetic—Kelela wants us to demand more from what we hear. Take Me Apart is an education in the artist and music on a wider scale, with the sound resonating in so many creative and spiritual ways.

“Onanon” is a true flash of brilliance. The soothing, fast-paced motion of the track feels like a bird’s eye view of a relationship on fast forward. Kelela has the ability to reflect so poignantly on past memories, simultaneously describing present raw emotions, whilst speaking on fears for the future. A soundtrack which communicates the flawed human experience with delight, hope and sadness, this album has been created with every chord and word spoken considered to its most intricate capacity. 

Switching up grime, Kelela’s own hybrid translation of the murky genre is an elegant, charged R&G take on the trending sound ruling the charts right now. Working a diverse range of producers’ sounds into the album’s atmospheres, Jam City, Arca, Kelsey Lu, Terror Danjah, and The xx’s Romy Madley-Croft all influence the rich tapestry of this dimly-lit R&B musical arrangement. 

Take Me Apart is an evolution from the style of her previous EP offering, Hallucinogen, in that it’s a deeper exploration of self. Where before the Night Slugs collaborator immersed her identity in the production and instrumental movement of the music, she now marries her well-established identity borne in the studio with her refined vocal prowess and songwriting processes. Album artwork displays the statuesque musician arched naked on a red velvet curtain, decorated by only her long-braided hair. She’s a beautiful woman, one who doesn’t care to over-sexualise the sound but stands strong as a red-blooded female who loves sex, pitying men’s limited attitude to both comprehending women’s desires and need for freedom. 

This is a damn sexy album.