by Torrey Proto
Born of a mutual fandom on Soundcloud between West coast-based musicians Omar Akrouche and Nicole Rowe, new project Worthitpurchase delivers warm yet haunted lo-fi pop built on washes of stark, minimalistic melodies. The group effectively capture the spontaneous energy stemming from their chance online encounter on their self-produced debut album Dizzy Age.
The video-accompanied title track delivers perfectly in this regard, with the slight reverb on Rowe’s hushed vocals echoing a quiet but firm resolve carried by the power of her voice and guitar alone. Appropriately leaning into the nostalgia with the track’s video directed by Serena Hughes and Sammy Lam, a washed out series of distant memories from the past floats by on reels of 16mm film, perfectly echoing the intimate quality exuded by the group’s music and lyrics that yearn for another time and place while remaining firmly in the present. Proving that some whims are worth exploring, Akrouche and Rowe get the most out of their budding musical partnership on their extraordinarily well-crafted and layered debut album that demands repeat listens.