by Jare C (@jareccurtis)
When composer, performer, and lyricist Taja Cheek first broke into the scene with her band L’Rain in 2017, R&B, dream pop, and experimental pop fans had a lot to be excited for, but the music scene at large had yet to fully embrace their work. That swiftly changed in 2021, when their album Fatigue became a critical darling, praising Cheek’s bold production decisions, dreamy aesthetics, and sweeping direction. With this latest record, I Killed Your Dog, Cheek and company are clearly seeking to only further push the envelope, with an even broader theatrical scope, spine-chilling lyrics, and absolutely mesmerizing musicality and production.
What makes I Killed Your Dog so special in the musical landscape of 2023 is that it implements many musical hallmarks from the late 80’s and late 90’s all the way up to today’s current moment. L’Rain is able to fashion them into a larger tapestry that is dense and experimental while still being incredibly listenable and accessible, yet fiercely passionate, embracing a dark, twisted femininity that is nothing short of bewitching. The titular track is a keen enough example of this, with the detailed murder of an unnamed canine, only for Cheek to reveal “I am your dog”. In this moment, we’re given a furtive glimpse into L’Rain’s lyrical and musical prerogative with this record - create expectations, subvert them, and then subvert those expectations again.
Throughout the entire project, the meticulously detailed production is nothing short of jaw dropping. Each track is an encompassing landscape of dreamy instrumentation, with a remarkable amount of restraint and a clear objective of balance. Guitars, synths, and strings weave in and out of each song, lending picturesque backdrops to Cheek’s absolutely gorgeous, ethereal vocals, a performance that maintains a distinctive balance between seductive, devious, and playful. She allows the moment of each song to inform her embrace of every track, creating performances that harken back to some of her most prolific adjacent fields of R&B, dream pop, bubblegum pop, electronic, rock, and vocal jazz. Everything is on the table here, and the band leaves nothing behind. Just when you think you know exactly what you’ll be getting from moment to moment, the record bends, shifts, expands, sneaks, and explodes into another direction, all while maintaining a distinctive feminine twinge that colors each creative decision. With I Killed Your Dog, L’Rain has shaped an artistic statement that will surely serve as a key inspiration for many artists in her sphere for years to come.