A Reckoning

Album review

Even though Kimbra fans know to expect the unexpected, A Reckoning proves she can still surprise. As she views the turbulence of the early 2020s through a personal lens, questioning relationships, identity, and the world at large, she creates moods that are distinctly different from any of her previous work. The droning and chiming electronics that drive the introspective opening track "Save Me" have more in common with Homogenic or Kid A than most of Kimbra's own discography, while "Gun"'s explosive outbursts make it clear that she's ready to rip it up and start again. Even when she indulges in crate-digging mashups like those on The Golden Echo and Primal Heart, the feeling that she's done putting up with nonsense remains on "LA Type," a funky skewering of West Coast fakeness that features Tommy Raps and Pink Siifu backing her up. Kimbra's use of hip-hop and electronic music on A Reckoning fortifies her resilience: she mixes teeth-rattling beats and slinky keys on "Replay"'s recriminations, and grounds "GLT"'s alluring kiss-offs with a massive bass and bars from Erick the Architect. When she returns to introspection as the album winds down, it showcases the growing maturity of her songwriting. "Foolish Thinking," a duet with Son Lux's Ryan Lott, is a tender meditation on how pain can lead to growth. Even better is "I Don't Want to Fight," where she keeps her words and vocals hauntingly simple. As heartbroken and fed up as she is on much of A Reckoning, Kimbra still makes room for playful songs and sounds. It's no coincidence that one of the sexiest-sounding songs, "Personal Space," is about taking time for herself. "New Habit" is ostensibly about meeting and obsessing over someone new, but its taut rhyme scheme and surging choruses feel like shedding a skin. Kimbra's willingness to shake things up is one of her greatest strengths, and by going to extremes on A Reckoning, she delivers some of her most daring and thoughtful music.
© Heather Phares /TiVo