Reeya Banerjee’s The Way Up begins with the single release “The Magic Word”. The Washington D.C. born, San Francisco-raised singer filmed a video for the song as well that has a personal edge lacking in most promotional clips. Banerjee isn’t unafraid of depicting herself, either in a clip or in song lyrics, as vulnerable and affected by the world around her and the clip supports her with suggestive imagery.
URL: https://www.reeyabanerjee.com/
The music, courtesy of songwriter Luke Folger, is jagged and machine-like. The ferocious quasi-industrial leanings of the song’s sound never undermine the project’s capacity for melody even in the most unlikely landscapes. Her vocals make you sit up and take notice. She delivers the song with a perhaps initially curious lack of involvement. It’s a calculated move, however. It’s intended to reflect the singer’s disconnected point of view and does so with great artfulness.
Banerjee shifts gears with the album’s second cut. “Through the Haze” has a dizzying array of musical and vocal influences percolating to the surface – you hear echoes of classic Yes lurking just below during the verses. The song slides into alternative white-noise pyrotechnics near its conclusion. Banerjee’s voice is much livelier here than before but continues relying much more on finesse than power.
“Rag Doll”, the album’s third track, has a strong New Wave/neo-punk vibe. It doesn’t sound outright imitative of anyone, but the echoes are undeniable. Many listeners will latch onto this song as an early favorite; it has a playfully rambunctious musical edge lacking in the preceding songs. The title song is one of the album’s more ambitious moments. Folger composes an arrangement long on structure but nevertheless flexible enough it accommodates several twists along the way. It features one of Banerjee’s most impassioned vocals.
The tense yet glistening guitars of “Need You There” returns Banerjee to alt rock/post-punk territory. Such moments on the album, however, never lose their melodic emphasis – The Way Up never embraces noise or mindless riffing for its own sake. “Deep Water” takes Banerjee into much more atmospheric and foreboding musical lands than previous tracks, but it’s never overly theatrical. The edgier and jarring passages within this song juxtapose nicely with its more conventional sections.
BANDCAMP: https://rebelsongdog.com/album/the-way-up
The finale “Bright Lights” seems to be in a near-constant state of rave up. Its relentless and revolving movements is almost dizzying at first, but listeners will soon grab onto the tempo and ride the song out from there. Its an energetic closer to a collection unwilling to confine itself. Reeya Banerjee’s musical ambitions get a good workout on The Way Up and she establishes a strong personal connection with Luke Folger’s material. This is far from a cookie cutter album but don’t give up if it doesn’t sink in with a single listen because it’s a different kind of record. The Way Up grows with new listen and such staying power is increasingly rare in modern music. Let us hope the pair continue working together on Banerjee’s future releases because their chemistry deserves further exploration.
Chadwick Easton