INTEREST RATES, A TAPE: ALBUM REVIEW
Genre is a tool rather than a constraint to the west-London-based singer George Riley. No matter what the instrumental backdrop, her voice glides effortlessly over the world. On her debut album, titled interest rates, a tape, she hops all over the map. Sometimes we get drum & bass bangers firmly rooted in British culture, other times we take neo-soul odysseys that sound like they were recorded in New York with the Soulquarians. But the project spends the majority of time drifting underwater between these two extremes. The album offers a new and uniquely British take on neo-soul and introduces a younger voice to a sound that is often dominated by elders.
interest rates, a tape sounds like a mid-2010s mixtape. It gives off a similar lo-fi vibe to something you might expect from Tinashe or Kelela during that time frame. The project feels both meticulously constructed, and also abstract, and almost random. The sequencing of tracks feels a bit haphazard: George Riley never wants us to get used to a singular sound. She refuses to let the listener or the constraints of any genre dictate what her music is meant to sound like. Within the first three songs we get the R&B slow-jam “cleanse me,” the psychedelic “your eyes,” and the drum and bass influenced banger “your power.”
“your power” is a particularly interesting track because of how Riley uses her voice and song structure to subvert listener expectations. The song begins with Riley’s airy vocals over a soft drum and bass rhythm, but right as you think the song is going to explode, the drums recede and the track drops back into neo-soul layering and chords. This directly corresponds with her crooning, “always thinkin’ you’re tryna play me,” while she toys with our expectations for her music. The track maintains frantic kinetic energy, always threatening to turn up the speed but never quite getting to that point.
Even when Riley slows it down, she manages to always keep the listener guessing. On the song “money” she playfully chants “I got money” over a jazzy beat. Her voice drifts in and out of the beat, borrowing her sound from hip-hop and R&B. She never lets the listener get comfortable with the slower cadence as the beat skitters, speeds up, and slows back down every few seconds. “money” is a great example of how she keeps you from ever completely chilling out and ensures that you always have an eye on what’s next.
Lyrically, the album digs into relationships, personal fulfillment, and healing. Riley’s own healing process permeates the entire project as she talks about the different ways that we can find healing in life. On some tracks like “say yes” healing comes from a simple change of mindset, while on “dreams,” healing is an iterative process that originates deep within every person’s mind. This focus on healing makes the entire project feel like a journey of healing for the listener. After finishing the project you feel cleansed yourself.
interest rates, a tape is a fantastic project that pulls you in every direction at once. It’s an extraordinary tape and promises more experimentation and beauty to come in the future.