Washed Away by Kelala | Song Review
Kelala’s latest single continues her trademark atmospheric sound beautifully.
I was lucky enough to discover Kelala’s silky vocals through her work with Solange on her 2016 project A Seat at the Table. After diving into hero own work, I was engulfed in blend of influences from electronica, R&B, jazz, and indie music that satiated my sonic pallet. Her work with Arca on her mixtape and debut album made for a nocturnal dream of alternative R&B sounds. I fell in love with her debut album, Take Me Apart, and couldn’t wait to hear what the next steps would be. Released September 13th, 2022, “Washed Away” continues her trademark smooth semi-electronic sound. Where Take Me Apart seemed to chronicle the ends of a relationship and the rise out of that, “Washed Away” has a sort of disassociated feeling. We open on a descending synth pattern into Kelala’s freeform skat-like ad-libs. It feels like shaking yourself out of daydream, or at least tightrope walking in and out of reality. The wide open space this sound provides matches this desolate head space she sings on. “The hope, the longing, fade away, blurry-eyed/ Riding out on metal waves/ Moving on, a change of pace”. She’s feeling distant from the many emotions she once felt (“Far away… Washed away”). We end on the sound of iridescent keys, very reminiscent to some of Arca’s previous work, that gives a bit more warmth to the song. It’s a cleansing of all prior baggage to start a new. One complaint I have around the song is it’s length. Coming in at nearly 3 minutes and 30 seconds, I do wish it was a bit more full. The opening ab-libed intro take about a minute before we get into the meat of the song. Maybe I’m being greedy, but I just wish it was either longer or had a few more lines. I really enjoy the song overall. It’s silky and cool without feeling too empty. Kelala’s vocals are as clear and pure as ever. The music video, shot in the beautiful desert landscape of Ethiopia, wonderfully mirrors this blank slate that she sings about. I hope it is the precursor to a new album in the works. I need more than just a teaser.
Overall, I think the vibe is there, but the structure leaves something to be desired. I need more of something in it. My overall rating: 6.0 out of 10.0. It’s a great start to what I hope is more to come.
