The Danish duo Quadron is back with their second album entitled Avalanche, and boy, is that a fitting name for pure deluge of soulful sounds that come out of it. Since their first self-titled album four years ago, producer Robin Hannibal has gone on to receive some recognition for his work with Mike Milosh in Rhye, and vocalist Coco O. has made a name for herself by being featured on Tyler, the Creator’s “Treehome95” track off of his acclaimed Wolf album this spring as well as on Jay-Z’s The Great Gatsby soundtrack. It appears that the duo’s time apart has only helped them as there is plenty of material here to be proud of.
From those soft, wispy notes, to the loud and bombastic ones, Coco can hit it all. And after hearing her belt out songs about love for a little over a half hour, it’s a little hard to not fall in love with her yourself. It can be pretty hard not to swoon when you hear her sultry tones multitracked on songs like “Crush” and “Neverland,” as well as the title track. And while she does steal the show, Hannibal’s work is not to be overlooked. Between synths, strings, wind instruments, keyboard instruments, and rhythmic guitar, bass, and drum arrangements, the man knows how to put things together. Moreover, his compositions are varied enough to keep things fresh while at the same time never failing to showcase Coco’s vocals and act as just perfect background music.
The popular Kendrick Lamar actually shows up to rap a bit on the track “Better Off,” but that being said, it’s nothing to write home about. The lead tune “LFT” and the penultimate song “Sea Salt” are the ones to watch, as each offers up something different and catchy in its own way; the former is the fun, poppy one that grabs you right away, while the latter is the sensual, emotional one that you’re meant to shed a tear to. Yet it’s the first single “Hey Love” that paves the way for Coco to become a commercial force, allowing her to showcase all of her ability as it offers up a powerful chorus.
The added production value on this record definitely helps these Danes to develop their musical talent and deliver some serious quality instead of causing them to sell out and serve up diluted crap, something that often happens when indie groups get signed to a major label. As a result, Avalanche is definitely something you’re going to want to include on that “bedroom” playlist.
