Into the Blue opens with a playful warning of "Hey, it's him again -- uh-oh!" and isn't without other lighthearted moments, but the second solo album from
the Indications' drummer and falsetto specialist ultimately revolves around real-life heartbreak.
Aaron Frazer conceived it after a major romantic split and a move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. He further guaranteed its distinction from
Introducing..., his 2021 debut, by bringing in an almost entirely different set of fellow musicians, writers, and producers, working most intensively with
Alex Goose (
Danny!,
Freddie Gibbs &
Madlib,
Brockhampton) while receiving limited contributions from the likes of
Nick Waterhouse (on the bracing rave-up "Payback") and
Robin Hannibal. The connection with
Goose brought about a wider range of styles and, on three songs, the use of samples.
Frazer developed his drumming in part by playing along to hip-hop records, so the combination of live instrumentation and samples wasn't foreign to him. Most salient is "Fly Away," a breezy hip-hop soul highlight that repurposes the hook and the feeling of romantic escape from vocal group
Hi-Five's like-titled 1992 song. (The other samples, including the album intro, lifted from an obscure mid-'60s Christmas single, aren't nearly as perceptible.) The laid-back "Time Will Tell" is bound to prompt comparisons to certain late-'70s soft rock hits but has a lonesome if sanguine character all its own. Even lighter in touch, "Dime" ("tell me") is a lush, Tropicália-inspired duet with Chilean singer/drummer
Cancamusa that flashes back to when
Frazer's romance was blossoming. The lonesome reflections occur when
Frazer and company weave dusty throwback magic. The rolling title song and weeping "I Don't Wanna Stay" -- the latter with a chill factor increased by a five-member string section and a tinge of dub -- are particularly affecting. Sadder yet is the closing ballad "The Fool," a collaboration with Finnish trio
Cold Diamond & Mink -- capped with
Nick Ferraro's forlorn flute -- that sounds like the soundtrack to a listless solitary stroll through a bustling urban park. ~ Andy Kellman
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