(15 Love)
Of a piece with the off-kilter pop of Astrid Sonne and Tirzah, Raisa K builds a striking debut out of hazy melodies, unaffected vocals and observations of everyday love

In recent years, there’s been a real appetite for a certain strain of hazy, quietly off-kilter pop made by classically trained musicians who favour a more DIY approach. Think Astrid Sonne, ML Buch or Tirzah, all of whom have put out records that are simultaneously cosy and jarring. Affectionately, the debut album by Raisa K, has a similar blueprint: simple melodies, unaffected vocals and scrappy production.

The formula makes sense: K is a longstanding member of the pop-not-pop group Good Sad Happy Bad, and the record enlists some of the key players from that world: bandmates Marc Pell and Mica Levi (also Tirzah’s producer) plus friend and collaborator Coby Sey. Here K takes the lead, exploring the mundanity of love, trust and tension with unembellished candour. The lyrics are unshowy – the kind of nonchalant sentiment you might jot down in your Notes app.