Following up on her acclaimed EP ‘STILL IN LOVE’, boundary-pushing Swedish creative RIVER is now back with a strikingly hypnotic and decadent pop effort, ‘I AM CANCER’. Wrapped in hazy instrumental tones and understated fuzz, the record showcases once again RIVER’s commitment to unconventional and eclectic pop ethos, here infused with a certain sultriness and nostalgic allure. Framed into a gloomy lyrical charge, the song explores the ins and outs of emotional defence mechanisms and their role in romantic relationships.
As the Swedish songstress eloquently explains: “‘I AM CANCER’ reflects an infected mind trying to love and receive love through a wall of defence protecting it from vulnerability, and therefore love itself. It communicates frustration around the inability to cure or hide an ugly mind stuck in false self-beliefs, believing it’s unworthy of true love.”
Overall, we appreciate the feverish and dreamy character behind the record. It’s the kind of alternative pop that’s likely to appeal to a wider audience, and in fact, we wouldn’t be afraid to define the single as dream pop if we were to be challenged to do so. RIVER’s vocals are incredibly charismatic and cathartic, here infused with a certain darkness, the soft kind; the kind that arises from secular experience and intimate reflections.
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