Kelsey Lu: So Help Me God review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week
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- Kelsey Lu released the album So Help Me God, their first full‑length release in seven years, framing the gap as an artistic rebellion against industry pressure for constant new material.
- Jack Antonoff contributed production to the track “Comfort or Running to Pain,” helping shape the album’s abstract arrangements.
- Kamasi Washington adds saxophone on the opener “Reaper,” providing a hazy swirl of sound that underpins the song’s shifting texture.
- Sampha appears as a guest vocalist on the album, adding his distinctive tone to the collaborative roster.
- Kim Gordon supplies guitar work on “Reaper,” delivering distant gusts of noise that blend into the track’s ambient interlude.
- Arthur Russell’s influence is noted as less overt on this album than on Lu’s debut Blood, resulting in a more cohesive, less derivative sound.
- Reaper begins as soft‑focus pop‑soul, then drops and re‑enters drums before transforming into a slower, drum‑machine‑driven version with ambient interludes, exemplifying the album’s shifting textures.
Why it matters: The album gives fans a richly crafted, genre‑blending record and shows that an extended creative break can produce a cohesive work, challenging the music industry’s push for constant releases. It also highlights Kelsey Lu’s ability to integrate diverse collaborators without sacrificing artistic vision, potentially influencing other artists to prioritize intuition over market pressure.
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