Shelter

Album review

In 2012, Alice Phoebe Lou left her native South Africa at the age of 19 to move to Berlin. She took to the streets of the city to sing covers of classics, until, in 2015, one of her performances (Walk On The Wild Side) went viral on YouTube. The following year, she released her debut album, entitled Orbit. Shelter is now already the fifth album from this prolific artist, who ended up moving back to South Africa in 2022. An anti-pop star par excellence, labelled "folksy" a little too quickly, the singer parades her free spirit all the way through Shelter, which she describes as a soothing farewell to the young girl she once was. The dreamy harmonies of Angel, Lately, Shine and Open My Door reflect the spirit of this record, with its gentle simplicity and charming vintage mood. A smooth rhythm section, piano, guitars and organ set the scene of the singer's hushed refuge. The peppier Shelter and Lose My Head show that appeasing messages can be communicated with effervescent energy. Halo and its vibraphone personifies the perfect harmony that Alice Phoebe Lou has struck between herself and her ego. On the whole, Shelter is a conversation between the artist and her intimate past; the song that concludes the album shows ties the end up beautifully as Lou addresses a younger woman whom she advises on how to blossom and affront the world around her. ©Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz