Lava La Rue – STARFACE

After years of eclectic singles, London artist Lava La Rue has commenced a new chapter with their debut album, ‘STARFACE’. Inspired by the idea of making a lesbian version of Ziggy Stardust, ‘STARFACE’ is an expansive space romp filled to the brim with international features, slick neo-psychedelic grooves, and abundant sci-fi synths. This is a record with so much to say that the best advice is to simply listen to it yourself. Over the course of the 17 tracks, Lava takes us on a sonic wormhole adventure, one that cannot be experienced second-hand.

The eponymous Starface is a genderfluid alien who falls to Earth and discovers humanity with fresh, innocent eyes. Told through glittery, twinkling keyboard flourishes and Lava’s confident, vivacious vocals, Starface observes humans love, destroy, and love again. Opening with the groovy ‘Better’ featuring Cuco, Starface announces themself as a curious, optimistic alien discovering the beauty of Earth. Lava’s trademark sanguine vocals murmur “Are you gonna sink or swim/swim!/Ride the wave or let it consume you baby?/Ride!” over a slick bassline and sonorous brass section. On ‘Manifestation Manifesto’, Starface half-sings-half-speaks the chorus over a retro guitar solo and a starlight keyboard twinkle.

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‘Manifestation Manifesto’ is a call to action: Starface is here, and they are ready to see what humanity has to offer. While mostly a bildungsroman of Starface’s journey, the record features a collection of collaborative tracks, the standout being ‘Poison Cookie’. The short track opens with a heartfelt confession: “Don’t look back when you taste the sky/Look the truth deep in the eye/I still believe in serendipity.” Immediately an obstructive static guitar engulfs the confessional introduction. The disparity between the opening moments and the take-no-prisoners stampede of the chorus showcases what ‘STARFACE’ is truly about: an outsider’s first glimpse of humanity, the horrors and the heartfelt that define our existence.

Over the record’s 17 tracks, we follow Starface from the highs and lows of love and companionship, most prominent on ‘HUMANITY’ and ‘SHELL OF YOU’. It’s remarkably apt that the closing track, ‘Celestial Destiny’, is a candid farewell, with Starface wondering if they should leave Earth or stay with the person they fell in love with. With the emotionally-charged aside of “Do I stay here, or save you?”, Starface never answers that question.’ STARFACE’ has the confidence of an artist with far more renown like (dare I say!) Bowie or Prince. There isn’t much filler here, as each song leaps into 4D with a psychedelic, soulful soundscape that’ll take you to space.

9/10

Words: Erin Bashford 

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