Alaska Reid – ‘Disenchanter’ review: A.G. Cook-assisted dreamland of otherworldly pop

12 July, 2023

Alaska Reid

When Alaska Reid released her debut solo EP in 2020, she was rightly praised for her abilities as a storyteller. Providing a snapshot of life growing up in Montana, ‘Big Bunny’ had an intimacy that planted you firmly in the coming of age, angsty mindset of a young but skilled songwriter with plenty to say. In its nostalgic imagery, we were offered a tender introduction to Reid’s gritty Americana. It’s a soundscape that has now been amplified and developed further on her first full length release, ‘Disenchanter’.

An album that fuses snippets of autobiography, memory and varying emotional states, ‘Disenchanter’ feels like a collection of journal entries, with both lived and imagined experiences immersing listeners in the beauty and heartbreak of Reid’s formative years.

‘Back To This’, Reid’s first single in nearly two years, was written after a hike through the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, but even without the context, there’s a sense of being drawn into the song by her reflective and observational lilt. In its lightness and sparkling synths, it retains a homely and atmospheric quality, as if we’ve been transported directly into a daydream.

Once again, Reid’s partner and PC Music label head A.G. Cook takes on production duties here, with his eclectic future pop signature coming through in the album’s layering of synths and pedals. But crucially, this happens without diminishing any of Reid’s artistry.

Having recorded each track live at home in both Montana and California, there is a personable element that shines through, with Cook providing the space and subtlety in his production to emphasise Reid’s diary-like storytelling. ‘Dogs & Girls’, for example, places Reid’s vocals front and centre above repetitive guitar harmonics, gradually building up to a spiky, distorted landscape while keeping her striking vocals as the constant focal point.

Elsewhere, tracks like ‘She Wonders’ and gentle opener ‘French Fries’ have an engaging, conversational and intimate quality. On the former, her whispered, spoken word style is naturally alluring, and it returns on the wistful ‘Leftover’ and ‘Seeds’, where her foray into a higher vocal register pushes her sound in new directions.

‘Disenchanter’ is another vulnerable and honest release from Reid, but it’s the production and songwriting craft of the record that underlines a real progression in the artist’s musicality. From emotional, earthy numbers to tracks drenched in an upbeat pop haze, Reid has succeeded in chronicling a very personal yet relatable narrative, as well as continuing a wider musical evolution.