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CRITIC REVIEWS
95
After the last notes fade to black, the ghost of Someone New continues to haunt you — it’s an utterly unforgettable record.
3mo
90
Like a parcel of breakup roses compressed into a confetti cannon, Helena Deland's debut album is explosive, belaboured and totally intoxicating.
3mo
90
It is an assured collection of music from an artist that is perceptive and immensely skilled and it is one of the best records you will hear this year.
3mo
80
Helena Deland gets incredibly close to penning the perfect pop album for the current moment.
3mo
80
Her ability to combine woozy guitars with killer synths and endlessly catchy melodies hasn’t disappeared, only softened and matured.
3mo
79
Her songs are like islands: self-contained, gorgeous little worlds where nothing is obvious—especially the genesis of love and its unsteady first steps.
3mo
72
There is a haunting beauty to the music of Someone New that’s oddly enticing. You can feel the songs dragging you closer, like an unexplainable desire to explore the unknown.
3mo
70
Throughout Someone New, on top of its hypnotic mix of the strange and familiar, Deland's vulnerable voice helps make her self-conscious, searching commentaries all the more engrossing.
3mo
70
These 13 tracks reveal her considerable creative talents.
3mo
It takes one line from Someone New, the debut record of Helena Deland, to suck you in. The song starts with a droning hum, with Deland suddenly appearing with the line "If I could have every thought" in this hypnotic tone like a siren leading you into the deep waters. The song in itself is a perfect encapsulation of what the rest of the record would sound like going forward, as Deland shifts a minute in towards something a little more bridging on indie pop, with delicate guitar ... read more
Someone New has some beautiful moments and great songs, but her sound doesn’t feel fully realized yet. Her vocals remind me of Lana and Billie Eilish, but the songwriting isn’t as interesting to me. The production is nice, but the songs themselves end up being a little boring and sleepy overall. She definitely has talent and potential, but this is just a little too forgettable, even if pretty decent.
Helena Deland's whispery vocals seamlessly fall back into the deep layers of experimental dream pop production without becoming reliant on a constant soundscape. She leaves space between verses; the synths complement her echoey background vocals often. There aren't too many catchy hooks here, but they remind of other indie acts in a similar lane when they appear. On Truth Nugget, we start with a rumbling snare into the bassline and droning synths as she sings of emotional vulnerability. Then ... read more
Helena Deland's version of hypnagogic rock music is constantly transforming; songs mutate between amorphous singer-songwriter ballads and cathartic slow rock anthems. Deland carves out her sonic space in similar ways to artists like Julia Jacklin and Gia Margaret. These 'sleep rock' artists (A term Margaret coined to describe her music) explore intimacy through woozy, laid-back rock songs that are in no rush. They are both sleepy in sound and in sentiment, for through this hazy reverie Deland ... read more
2020 recap part 8
faves: someone new, comfort edge, fill the rooms, lylz , gas station
least faves: dog, pale, fruit pit
faves: someone new, comfort edge, fill the rooms, lylz , gas station
least faves: dog, pale, fruit pit
stereogum.com
New Track: Helena Deland – “Someone New” 
gorillavsbear.net
Helena Deland returns with new single “Lylz” 
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Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Gorilla vs. Bear |
| #5 | / | Les Inrocks |
| #13 | / | NBHAP |
| #18 | / | The FADER |
| #30 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
| #30 | / | Under the Radar |
| #39 | / | Exclaim! |
| / | Vinyl Me, Please |
Track List
- Someone New
- Truth Nugget
- Dog
- Fruit Pit
- Pale
- Comfort, Edge
- The Walk Home
- Seven Hours
- Smoking at the Gas Station
- Lylz
- Mid-Practice
- Clown Neutral
- Fill the Rooms
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2mo
It's kinda growing on me. "Truth Nugget" and "Comfort, Edge" are the hightlights so far. Pretty mature production and atmosphere for an indie pop, guitar based debut
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Added on: August 11, 2020