Rachel Lime Expands Her Sonic Reals With Electronic Art-Pop Microcosms on ‘STORIES’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Escapism is a fickle beast to control. When used properly, it can serve as a meditative retreat in your day-to-day life when a minute is all you need, but when it overtakes you, you become distracted and detached from your sense of reality.

For Rachel Lime, the singer/songwriter/producer, time seems to be suspended in her music. Her debut project, A.U., arrived five years ago on a cloud sent from an otherworldly dimension, employing an ethereal atmosphere of wistful vocals that navigated both ambient textures and bouncy dance records. Lime’s music has always toyed with fantasy, but on her long-awaited sophomore effort, STORIES, she dives into her world of make-believe like never before. Across an eight-song tracklist, Lime’s imaginative art pop becomes even more daring, less weighed down by the pressure to find a sonic identity, and more focused on honing an individuality that has been dormant in Lime’s previous releases. The pressures of a sophomore slump, though, are something an artist can’t escape. Throughout STORIES, we find Lime aiming towards a singularity and lands on another planet entirely, one she can build on her own, free of expectations. 

STORIES is a noticeable departure from Lime’s more sparse releases in the past. There is a robust nature to the production of these songs that allows the artist to take wild swings in the pursuit of accurately depicting the vibrant worlds contained in Lime’s head. These songs feel like the moment the artist’s visions collide with reality, her talents catch up to her lofty visions, resulting in a spellbinding listen that pairs fantastical portraits of alien worlds with sonic landscapes that sprout unfamiliar plants. STORIES blurs the lines between vulnerability and fiction, creating an enthralling listen that reaches a delicate balance. 

Lime’s vocal performances throughout her sophomore effort maintain the uniqueness she established on her previous releases. At the same time, the production and songwriting on STORIES are where her artistic evolution is focused. A Highlight like “Jangdan,” one of the more memorable moments on this tracklist, beautifully depicts the marriage of experimentation and familiarity. Lime’s vocals whirl around palpable percussion, capturing the moment we open our eyes to see this wonderful world the artist has painted for us. This prowess continues in moments like the captivating intro “Wild Raspberries” and the nimble grooves of “Haenyeo.” 

Standing at only eight songs, every moment of STORIES allows for a chance to throw off the whole listening experience, adding yet another helping of pressure to Lime’s plate. The artist, though, seems unaware of this stress, allowing even more commercially viable moments like the dance-pop record “Elided” to sit comfortably next to the wind-chime-like risks executed on “Water Lily Bloom.”

STORIES is not a concept album; it is a collection of electronic art-pop microcosms that allow Lime to showcase her artistic maturity while cloaking it with raw emotions delivered as fairy tales. Lime’s sophomore effort is a step in an exciting direction for a young artist slowly coming into their own, becoming more fearless as time passes. These eight songs feel like the start of something special for Lime, while successfully avoiding a sophomore slump through infectious, calculated risks that bring us one step closer to the artist’s world.