Made In Heaven is Cecile Believe’s debut EP with her new moniker. Caila Thompson-Hannant, previously playing under the name Mozart’s Sister, broke her chains and now establishes a new era for herself in this venture. The artist made waves in the pop scene after her breakthrough appearance on SOPHIE’s debut work Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, but she unveils tinges of an experimental and exploratory side in her newest release.
The lead single, “The Last Thing He Said To Me In Person” dropped ahead of the rest, but it’s actually the next song “Living My Life Over Again” that deserves the crown. The track goes into full and joyous overdrive, complete with a twinkling, starry melody and an adrenaline-pumping drum/bass pairing. “Yellowjacket” and “7PM (Accretion Disk Edit)” are unexpected ambient divergences, inspired by her time working with and creating theatre pieces for performance artist PRICE in 2019. In any other circumstance, they would have seemed out of place, but it translates quite seamlessly in Thompson-Hannant’s hands. Further on, “Dissociation” mimics the EP’s first song’s hyper-close vocals; her voice is bare and her tongue laps inches away from our ears, although this time with a heavy dose of R&B. The closer, “Already Come”, is a bit of lackluster farewell, featuring a strumming ukulele and intentionally minimal production, it inadvertently comes off more amateur than sweet. However, when it comes to Cecile Believe’s incredible voice and proven talent, all is forgiven. The Montreal-born, L.A. transplant brings it all to the table in this emotionally vulnerable, lulling EP that excites listeners across a vast musical horizon.
Rating: 6.6/10
