Kevin Bronson on January 22nd, 2021

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Anna Schulze, Rhye and Lauren Lakis each released albums today — start your listening session here:

ANNA SCHULZE, “Break Your Heart, Keep It Open”

Schulze’s second solo album isn’t just a kaleidoscopic thrill ride between genres or an exemplar of confessional songwriting, it’s a flex. The Minnesota native, who studied at USC and was mentored by Glen Ballard, wrote, played, produced and mixed (almost) everything on “Break Your Heart,” though it sounds like an album made with an army. Stretching out from the power-pop/folk on 2016’s “Pickford Market” and her work with Maia Sharp in the folk duo Roscoe & Etta, Schulze experiments in dream-pop, grunge, alt-pop and things in between. In her hands, the shimmering opener “Let This Be OK” is more command than prayer; Schulze does a lot with a little on “Animal”; and between the singles “Human” and “Love Myself,” you find out what she means when she says: “This is what I sound like in my room, door closed, heart open (or reluctantly cracked as I pry), poured onto a blank canvas.”

RHYE, “Home”

Rhye’s new album “Home” has all the comforts of — warm synths, orchestral flourishes, a steady heartbeat, Mike Milosh’s astral vocal presence and the sound of children (the latter courtesy of the cantos sung by the Danish National Girls Choir, which bookend the album). Inspired by his own settling-down with new partner Geneviève Medow-Jenkins in Topanga Canyon, Milosh explores the many nuances of “home” throughout. Mostly, they take the shape of childlike wonder, and in a time when “home” has come for some to feel like prison, Rhye’s album reveals ample reasons to appreciate and celebrate.

LAUREN LAKIS, “Daughter Language”

Heavy sonically and thematically, alt-rocker Lauren Lakis off-loads plenty of rage as she sorts through emotional detritis such as organized religion (“Fear of God”), abusive relationships (“Run to You”) and a childhood lost to parental issues (“Sail Away”). Lakis’ bold, menacing rock shows she’s up to the task of facing any of them. “Daughter Language” is the follow-up to her 2018 debut “Ferocious.”