Review: Angélica Rahe

As if surrendering to the spirits of her forebears, Angélica Rahe's falsetto floats as she teases volando. Translating to "flying," she does just that as each word rides the air then soars to a great proverbial expanse on "Ancestros."

An extension of her debut Reina (2020), Autorretrato clutches her cultural heritage like a coveted heirloom as the record is sung almost entirely in Spanish, her first language – having been raised in Spain, Japan, and the United States. Family memories crystallize into poetic supplications as musings like "I come with my mother's curves, my dad's guitar" ("Ancestros") and "My old lady's prayers" ("Detrás de la Cortina") make small details sharpen into crisp focus.

While Reina flirts with love as a relentless and all-consuming desire, Autorretrato reclaims that love for herself. Whether crafting herself in infinite parts ("Soy Una Obra de Arte") or growing like sinuous roots from a seed ("Semillas"), the Los Angeles-to-Austin artist captures self-love as an embodying experience made corporeal. She drags out her prose in delayed gratification of a physical rush as words in "Como Tú Me Vez" suspend like gravity, crescendo in high ecstasy, or stretch syllables to eternity.

Once Kali Uchis' musical director and guitarist, Rahe's knowledge shines. Keys echo crystal- clear resonance ("No Me Vale"), synths ripple like the deep ocean, restrained and reverberating strums ("Sueño Fugaz") liquify soul, jazz, and hip-hop into ethereal and cool arrangements. Written, recorded, and produced alone in her bedroom studio, Autorretrato thrives in simplicity. Like a lingering touch, warm embrace, or longing look, her sophomore record swells in a vulnerable vastness of tactile and sensual intimacies, wave after wave.