Situated on the southwestern corner of Lake Ontario, the midsize industrial city of Hamilton, Ontario, has a grittiness that stands in stark contrast to the diverse cosmopolitanism of its northern neighbor, Toronto. While Hamilton may lack the cultural cachet of Canada's largest city, Steeltown served as a creative incubator for singer Jessy Lanza: she fell into a collaborative role with a local acquaintance, Junior Boys member Jeremy Greenspan, that led to studio sessions and a deal with the UK electronic label Hyperdub. The result of Lanza and Greenspan's work together is Pull My Hair Back, Lanza's debut collection of glacial electro-R&B.
Pull My Hair Back rings with a level of confidence surprising for a first record: Lanza experiments with bold minimalism, and frequently employs her voice to meet melodic and rhythmic ends in nontraditional ways. Hiccupping lead single "Kathy Lee" is ultra-stark, with Lanza's breathy vocal backed by little more than tiny percussive shakes and snaps; on "Fuck Diamond" she becomes a percussive tool herself, her casual readings of "Fuck that" and other wordless bits strung together and made part of a burbling tapestry that's reminiscent of the work of Jamie xx. Lanza's willingness to play a supporting role on her own songs, and to give those songs room to breathe, suggests an admirable level of restraint and a good ear for the larger sonic picture.
With all that restraint and space, Lanza's showier gestures stand out. There are several such moments on standout track "5785021," including a featherlight, fluttering vocal in the chorus and a beautifully textured, rippling synth that unfolds over the song's back half. The remainder of the album has its share of turns in the spotlight, from a wickedly funky synth drop on the stellar "Against the Wall" that's straight out of a 1980s playbook to the thrilling closing section of "Keep Moving", surely the album's peak in terms of sonic density.
While Greenspan's production choices and craftsmanship are integral to the album's success, Lanza is more than just a producer's pawn. One of her strengths as a vocalist is her ability to convey personality in small but definite ways, even if it's just through a word or short phrase. When she coos "You know my address" on "5785021," it glows with heat and intelligence and control, just enough to paper over the oddity of its existence in a song that's ostensibly about calling someone. It may be a stretch to say Lanza is creating characters within these songs, but she's certainly injecting personality.
It's tempting to imagine how these songs would transform if Lanza unleashed the considerable chops that occasionally shine on Pull My Hair Back. While this record's sense of self and attention to detail deserve to be praised, a small shift in Lanza's positioning and prominence could be the change that takes her next project from good to great.
