Prima Apollinaare’s latest EP might quite possibly end up as one of my top listens for 2023, not just as a writer for music, but also as a listener. A triumph in songwriting and arranging, Alignment is a short and sweet collection of drop dead gorgeous dream pop songs that made me, for 17 minutes, get lost in pristine sounding recordings, nuanced and colorful soundscapes, and haunting vocals, harmonies, and lyrics.
The Los Angeles based singer songwriter Prima Apollinaare has a delightful voice, that reaches high as effortlessly as it populates the more relatable and intimate registers. She sings with purpose and drives, her performance ends up sounding consistently soulful and heartwarming.
The EP starts with Believe. A true dream pop offering, Believe is based on flickering, light synth pads that live in the air of the song like colorful soap bubbles floating in peace. Apollinaare’s voice is incredibly powerful in the souring chorus that features an anthemic, youthful choir singing their hearts out, bolstering the hopeful message the song is here to deliver. In a pleasant stylistic departure, Deeper in Love starts with a rhythm of finger snaps that is a proponent of a funkiness that soon hits in full swing. The slow hitting beats stutter in a confident gait that supports the endlessly dreamy 2-chord Lydian composition. The vocal climb in the chorus, making perfect use of the mode the song is written in, sounds invigorating and outlandishly cool, for an unforgettable hook that’s my favorite in the entire album.
The melancholy intensifies in the latter half of the EP, without once veering off the path of perfectly accessible lyrical themes discussing valid emotions that we all can understand and relate to. Venus or Neptune is driving and shimmery sadness. Mostly devoid of Apollinaare’s impressive, soaring highs, Venus or Neptune is a masterclass in restraint, producing rich and memorable arrangements. It is an understated piece of dream pop tastefulness. Fantasy Ride has a wonderful bass line and a wonderful tone to it. The intro of Fantasy Ride features clean guitars and dramatic composition, with angelic harp flows populating the background. The sound of Fantasy Ride is infinitely bright and restrained, with bouncing effects and an artfully crafted dreamscape. It’s the album’s best-crafted and most engrossing background. The closer, My Own Fleet, is built on a plethora of guitars playing perfectly well on top of each other, controlling the pace and the dynamics of the piece. The vocal harmonies here are lush and adventurous, sometimes vocalizing melodies in gorgeous counterpoint, and at other times singing beautiful harmonies. This wonderful slow burner introduces a domineering bass line near the end that totally takes the music to an entirely different sphere.
It would be an actual crime to forget to give a ton of credit to Eren Cannata, the producer of Alignment, and the writer and producer for Netflix’s most-watched film for 2022, Purple Hearts. A force to be reckoned with and for sure a visionary who must be responsible for some of this album’s deepest and most impactful decisions. Alignment is a simple must-listen. A delight for the senses, a masterclass on many fronts, and on every front, a beautiful, well-crafted gem of sensational dream pop.