DARKER THAN DEATH

There’s a part of Indigo De Souza’s new album that sounds like the depths of hell. It’s in the song “Real Pain,” during a bridge about halfway in that dissolves into cacophonous screaming that lingers until it’s borderline uncomfortable. It’s the type of sound that would rattle the old speakers in your childhood basement and cause your parents to worry about what new phase their child might be getting into. And just when you start to worry that someone upstairs might think you’re listening to the sounds of actual death, the song lifts out of the shadows and launches straight into a vibrant, confident chorus of “I wanna kick, wanna scream, I wanna know it’s not my fault.”

“Any Shape You Take” is the second album from the Asheville-based musician, with “Real Pain” splitting the project at it’s halfway point. For the aforementioned seguê into those raw, uncomfortable screams, Indigo’s manager Madelyn Anderson helped source and compile audio recordings from fans and friends to build out the soundscape. In a way, that moment is a perfect depiction of the type of music that makes up the album; it’s something brutal turned into something beautiful.

This juxtaposition is ever-present on “Kill Me,” the first single from the record, comprised mostly of lyrics asking for death. Despite the morbid concept and imagery, “Kill Me” is a pretty catchy and agreeable (non-literal) song. It’s hard not to sing along, even when the lyrics discuss brains leaking through the floorboards. It’s that tinge of harsh reality that makes each song on the “Any Shape” so compelling. Even “Hold U,” the album’s most upbeat moment, has just a touch of doubt among the positives. It’s the beauty in the pain, and it’s what Indigo does best.

“Any Shape You Take” is out now via Saddle Creek. Listen to “Hold U” on the summer jamz ‘21 playlist below and catch Indigo De Souza on tour this fall.