One of Jessy Lanza's strongest assets as an electronic-pop musician is her ability to build a distinct sense of time and place. Her debut from ten years ago, Pull My Hair Back, is perfectly suited for a late-night lounge, while 2020's All the Time envisions a breezy drive along the coast as the sun sets in the horizon. The latest single from Love Hallucination, out July 28 on Hyperdub, is clear about the setting it wants to evoke: "Midnight Ontario." Much of that is due to its production, done with fellow Canadian artist Jacques Greene. A knocking 2-step beat buoys deep piano chords and Lanza's breathy, heavy-lidded falsetto. Between coos, she sings of falling in love "like tears in rain," quoting a dramatic monologue from the sci-fi film Blade Runner. In the midnight hour, it's unclear if her message and feelings will be returned.
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