Poliça's Madness: Eerie Production Overshadows Vocals

The synth-pop group Poliça has released their latest album, 'Madness,' which is characterized by eerie and inventive production. A key feature of this album is the prominent use of Allovers, an "anthropomorphic production tool" developed by producer Ryan Olson and Seth Rosetter.

Allovers blends percussion and synths to create an uncanny valley quality, described as too organic for digital and too robotic for analog. This results in unpredictable rhythmic and sonic variances, reminiscent of DeepDream technology. While this approach yields interesting textural moments on tracks like "Blood" and "Away," it can also lead to the music plodd

The album is positioned as a companion piece to 2020's 'When We Stay Alive.' However, unlike its predecessor, which focused on themes of injury and recovery with a more direct lyrical approach, 'Madness' seems to prioritize mood over lyrical urgency. Vocalist Channy Leaneagh's voice, often digitally effected, can be obscured by the production, making compelling lines feel secondary to the sonic landscape.