Bachelorette

Though this is Bachelorette's fourth album, this set of songs is such a statement of purpose that it deserves to be the project’s namesake. With Annabel Alpers' fondness for folk and synth pop, the genres have never blended together so seamlessly before, as on “The Light Seekers,” which marries acoustic picking with electronic beats so delicate they feel more like heartbeats than man-made rhythms. There’s also a newfound emotional maturity at work, most strikingly on the opening track, “Grow Old with Me,” where Alpers sings “you can watch my face disintegrate” over nearly hymnal electronic textures and backing vocals. “Sugarbug,” meanwhile, is so achingly gentle that even when it blooms into glorious guitars at the end, it’s still a breathtaking lullaby. Despite the overall serene feel, Bachelorette still knows when to turn up the volume, which Alpers does expertly on “Blanket,” which bounces along on a shuffle beat and a lilting melody, recalling a more girlish, bookish Goldfrapp. In between are quintessential electro-pop moments like “Polarity Party” and “Digital Brain,” both of which define Alpers' flair for sweetly sci-fi songs. A fine encapsulation of all of Bachelorette's sounds and moods, this is the most comfortable Alpers has sounded making music, and the result is some of her best work yet.