K
Tender Forever is just one of many projects for French-born Melanie Valera but it should serve as a launching pad for her solo work. Wider is an emotional outpouring of DIY electronic pop and grade school poetry but in this case that’s not a slight. Valera’s lyrics are the type of abstract and allegedly deep ruminations one would typically expect from a thoughtful 16-year-old (“Sometimes I wish you were a wolf/ What if sometime was now?”) but in the context of her fragmented beats her vague insecurities seem appropriate.
Beginning with the lilting twisted one-two of “Tiny Heart and Clever Hand” and “Doves vs. Pigeons” the album quickly melts away into pure pop bliss. “How Many” is begging to be an R&B classic while “Nicer If They Tried” rides a show-tune piano riff alongside pensive lyrics about fear and control. Valera’s minimalist approach displays an attractive realism as though she’s making the music just for herself and doesn’t mind if you happen to hear it. The result is one of the most surprising gems of the year.
