Album: koleżanka – place is review

by Harry Hodgson

place is – an enchanting and unique listening experience

The mind behind koleżanka, Kristina Moore, creates diverse yet cohesive soundscapes that fluctuate between sheer beauty and sinister, dark undertones. Whether this is through her delicate, astonishing vocal presence or through the hypnotic, warping instrumentals that carry throughout the entirety of the album.

The record opens with the fantastic, A Mouthful – a track that greets the listener with piercing synths and glorious companionship between the guitar and Moore’s melodic vocals. It’s a song that, much like tracks that appear later on the record, has a true sense of evolution – with its thundering drum beat, in particular, acting as our guide.

And the quality continues. $40 shows how Moore can blend electronic and alternative rock masterfully through the use of the opening percussive drum beat moving into a live kit seamlessly. The drags on the snare drum match the crisp, lush vocals provided by Moore, and the transition from acoustic to electronic drums after the chorus is an impactful moment, as Moore passionately reaches higher into her vocal register.

Album highlight, In A Meeting, is one of the most unique pieces of music I’ve heard all year. Witty, devastating lyricism, a grooving bass line, and its peculiar electronic drum beat all come together before the glorious and chaotic eruption in the chorus. This album deserves to make koleżanka one of the most talked about names in new music today – if there is any justice, it will give her the attention that she fully deserves.

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