Eli Rose - Hypersensible (2023) Hi-Res

The Montreal pop singer finds her groove on a confident second LP.
In the early 2010s, Montreal singer-songwriter Eli Rose formed one half of the indie-folk duo Eli et Papillon. She surprised everyone in 2019 with her self-titled solo debut, a dreamy collection of soul-searching pop and heartache hymns set to an evocative array of understated beats. It earned her the ADISQ Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. She returns a few years later as the mother of a young child—older, wiser and more musically assured, finding inspiration in the pages of her diary. Opening jam “Vendredi soir” rides a syncopated club beat as Rose coos about wanting to escape the city on a Friday night. The gently lilting title track finds her waxing nostalgic while contending with big emotions, backed by a simple rim shot and a twinkling mix of guitar and piano. She teams up with rapper Koriass on “N’oublie pas”, an affectionate tug-of-war between lovers struggling to connect, her silky-smooth delivery balanced by her guest’s rugged rhymes. On another standout, “Lala”, Rose sings away her troubles over a funky bassline.