After three years away, electronic duo Pick a Piper (Caribou drummer Brad Weber and vocalist Sophia Alexandra) return with a new album, Dandelion. It takes the listener on a bold, kaleidoscopic sonic journey whilst also acting as a manual for emotional survival. Finding emotional depth in the exquisite soundscapes, the record focuses on the fortitude needed to move forward, whilst serving as a reminder that challenging times can spur renewal.
Opener, “Holding on Again” is a prismatic mix of rhythmic precision and swirling electronics. Clouds of deep synths and chanted lines take it on an ambient trip before the pair blend in some unexpected UK garage sub-bass and chopped-up vocals. “Dissonant Hearts” is a glorious collage of ambient pop and rave. Quick pads and a delicate, crystalline piano underscore Alexandra’s breezy delivery, capturing the bittersweet determination to leave someone firmly in the past: “I will erase your name.” Her voice and lyrics complement the exquisitely rendered soundscapes perfectly, capturing the ebb and flow of emotional tides.
“Look Around” finds a resolute Alexandra anchoring herself in the present, refusing to cast a glance backwards: “We will find our courage to change.” The production is once again impeccable, as the duo seamlessly weave together skittering garage beats, radiant electronics, and fragmented vocal samples. At times, the track feels like a captivating tug-of-war between two competing songs, a stylistic clash that occupies its own time and space.
The standout, “Emerald”, immediately plunges you into its expertly crafted sonic landscape. Founded on calming, vibrant chords, pulsing synths, and a steady, driving rhythm, Alexandra’s ethereal vocals again act as the emotional cement. Lyrically, the weight of her raw, candid reflections on love is overwhelming. She captures how love, once the glue of a relationship, can lose its grip—leaving one to decide whether to let it dissolve or to find a new way to hold things together. That unfiltered honesty, coupled with the poignant electronics, makes this a track that rewards repeat listens.
Dandelion takes a more experimental turn at the halfway point, showcasing their ability to unpick threads from other genres and knit them tightly together. “Histerica Historica” features Guatemalan artist Mabe Fratti. Her effortless, ethereal voice breezes through the mix of Latin pop and noughties synthwave. “Skip a Step” follows in a similar vein, with a curtain of twinkling electronics and massaged pads framing the dreamlike vocals.
“Escape From” comes from a far darker place. With its urgent beats and cavernous synths, it warps into a twisted goth-infused electropop song. The claustrophobic nature of the song fits Alexandra’s increasingly fraught pleas for release from a relationship that threatens to drown her: “I feel like I’m under water.”
The emotional intensity continues with another standout, “Raindrops”, a slinky slice of electropop. Lyrically, the track suggests a sense of well-earned freedom, marking a defiant refusal to look back: “Raindrops on my eyelids, like diamonds.” The album drifts to a conclusion with the skeletal, ambient pop of “Smile”, an affecting call to remember that even in the darkest of times, it will be possible to experience joy again.
Pick a Piper have crafted a rich and rewarding record. Fusing disparate elements together, from the restless rhythms of UK garage to the expansive warmth of ambient pop, the production is consistently restless and inventive. However, at its core, Dandelion is a poignant reflection on love and renewal, whilst offering a reminder that there is beauty in the process of starting over.