We haven’t heard much of a peep from Aldous Harding since her fourth album, 2022’s Warm Chris, which I still throw on now and then for some complete dissociation. It was a strange album, jumping between baroque pop, psych folk, and overall some glorious songwriting work.
Aldous Harding has always felt like one of those artists who could explode to the degree of pop artists like Lorde, but her sound is just weird enough to be a bit too much for casual listeners. Still, she maintains a healthy dose of cult followers and people who are just into “weirder” pop music. I’d throw myself into that camp.
I’ll admit that on my first listen, this new album, Train on the Island, felt like it was lacking compared to Warm Chris, and mainly I’m talking about the instrumentation, or lack thereof. Most songs, like “If Lady Does It” or “San Francisco,” are stripped back, a few chords on piano or synth, two lines on guitar and bass, and a very simple drum beat that is almost forgotten about. It’s quite different from the maximalist vibe on Warm Chris. We do have some minimal orchestral flourishes, like the shimmering harp solo at the end of “What Am I Gonna Do?”
Still, we hear Harding’s shifting voice more clearly than we ever have, as if she’s right there in the room with you. “One Stop,” is a classic Harding track, about everything and nothing, her playing a show while John Cale eats rice in the background. “I Ate The Most,” the opener, is a super strange electro track about eating too much, or perhaps just consumption in general? It’s these vague thematic themes that always keep Aldous Harding’s songs in the back of my mind. “Coats” is a great indie pop closer, with some frenetic guitar work and Harding’s irresistible harmonizing falsettos. You just have to love her Kiwi accent, really ringing on the word “Coats.”
ThoughTrain on the Island is not the immediate smash that Warm Chris was, after a few listens, it will make you fall in love with Aldous Harding all over again.
