Bravo - Cobalt, Sorry Girls, LP

Sorry Girls have danced out of the darkness into the light. Since forming in 2015, the Montreal duo of Heather Foster Kirkpatrick and Dylan Konrad Obront have transformed an eerie, dreamlike sound into lush, pleasure seeking pop. Expanding upon their debut album, Deborah, the band's deftly arranged sophomore LP, Bravo!, sings to the back rows of the stadium, drawing listeners inward with a newfound focus on personal lyrics. "These songs are all about self-acceptance, self-affirmation, personal freedom, and letting go," says Kirkpatrick. "There are a lot of lyrics about the creative process itself, identity shaping, and how those things intertwine." While Sorry Girls' influences have evolved with each subsequent release, never have they sounded more like a live band than on Bravo!. The dramatic sound of "Sorcery" borrows a few tricks from Talk Talk, while "The Exiles" is Sorry Girls' veritable Springsteen anthem, complete with their own Clarence Clemons. Propelled by a slinky disco groove and immaculate guitarwork, "Prettier Things" is the album's standout among many - a "breakup song that's about honesty, not lying to yourself, and hiding behind prettier truths," says Kirkpatrick.