Under the Radar

ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL

“I didn’t really think this whole plan through. I feel the most exposed out of any record I’ve made so far.”

The plan to which Rose Elinor Dougall refers is the one that formed the basis of her third album, A New Illusion. Where her excellent 2017 release Stellular was a highly polished and synth-heavy production, the new record is a return to a more intimate and intricately fingerprinted persona for the London-based musician.

“It’s more personal, this record, compared to the last one,” Dougall says. “In the past, I had a tendency to over-decorate things, so this time I wanted to try to get to the essential qualities that the song needs. Lyrically, I did make a conscious decision to try to find as much succinct directness as I could, to not overcook it. That goes for the melodies and arrangements too, to get something a little bit simpler.”

Indeed it is a bold move. drew a level of acclaim that Dougall hadn’t reached since the height of is her most affecting and cohesive album to date.

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