Cleo Handlerโs compare & contrast digs through your journal from a heartbreak summer, laughing and wincing in equal measureโexcept itโs set to jangly guitars, jittery percussion, and vocals that hit like a knowing smirk. This album is brutally honest but never bitter, angsty but never joylessโjust one big beautifully messy reflection on dating, solitude, and the whiplash-inducing in-between.
It opens with the title track, โcompare & contrast,โ and you immediately feel the pull. The percussion twitches like nerves at a first date, while the electric guitar glimmers in like a mellow high. Cleoโs voice is smooth, steady, and hypnotic. Thereโs this dazed, looped vibe, like sheโs caught in a cycle she knows she should break, butโฆ maybe one more spin?
Then thereโs โsummer,โ which is basically a montage of messy beach crushes and daydreams set to a melody that begs for a shout-sung chorus. Itโs flirty, dorky, and kind of unhingedโin the best way. The angst is there, but itโs sugar-coated with humor and catchy hooks.
โthink about youโ kicks it upโmore rhythm, harder drums, and that floaty, airy delivery from Cleo that feels like thinking too much in the shower. Itโs the sound of knowing better but still spiraling a little, and her refrain about needing to โget it togetherโ hits like a pep talk mid-meltdown.
And finally, โhappy babyโ feels like warm skin, soft light, and slow mornings with your lover. The layered harmonies and percussive heartbeat of the track wrap you in this unexpectedly soothing blanket of intimacyโpure serotonin.
All in all, compare & contrast is sharp, playful, and emotionally intelligent indie-pop for the overthinkers, the romantics, and the ones still figuring it all out.
STAY IN TOUCH:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan