3/5 globes

Brit star Paloma Faith is back with her fifth studio album, ‘Infinite Things’, much of which was recorded in lockdown.

Paloma Faith is likely a name you haven’t heard of, unless you’re very invested in the genres of bubble pop, jazz, or soul. Across the pond, however, Faith is an established star of the UK music circuit, having been a judge on The Voice UK and a BRIT Award winner. Her distinctive voice and style have earned her that regional notoriety, but it hasn’t been enough to gain her widespread international recognition. ‘Infinite Things,’ with its mix of an 80s sound and more modern techniques, is a clear attempt to get her noticed by more United States fans. 

‘Infinite Things’ features 13 tracks: ‘Supernatural,’ ‘Monster,’ ‘Gold,’ ‘Falling Down,’ ‘If This Is Goodbye,’ ‘Better Than This,’ ‘Me Time,’ ‘If Loving Was Easy,’ ‘Beautiful & Damned,’ ‘I’d Die For You,’ ‘Living With A Stranger,’ ‘Last Night on Earth’ and a titular track ‘Infinite Things.’ While ‘Gold,’ ‘Falling Down’ and ‘Last Night on Earth’ were released as promotional singles ahead of the album release date, the whole album became available to stream on all major platforms on Nov. 13. 

The album is reflective of many personal topics for the artist, including lost love, friendship and motherhood especially as she has been public about her current struggles in experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. 

“The title of the album and song ‘Infinite Things’ is about my life experiences with long term relationships, my love of my friends, loss and motherhood. I’m sure everyone will interpret these songs in different ways,” Faith posted to Instagram the day the album dropped. 

‘Infinite Things’ seems like the culmination of Faith’s prior discography but overall has a somber undercurrent fitting for the year of its release. In that regard, ‘Better Than This,’ is especially appropriate, with the depressing but apt lyrics “Then my brother calls me and he’s sayin’/Oh, I can hear the angels praying that we can do better than this.”

There are still some positive songs from this album, like ‘Gold,’ a bombastic tune which champions self-confidence in the little things, or ‘Supernatural’ with its romantic lyrics set to nostalgic 80s synth. But it’s the songs with deeper meaning that shine in this album, particularly ‘Living with a Stranger,’ ‘If This Is Goodbye’ and ‘Monster,’ all of which describe dysfunctional relationships or heartbreak, a theme that has been a part of Faith’s work since her debut. Among other critics, ‘Monster’ seems to be the favorite track and for good reason: its dance-inducing beat and polished sound make it the standout track of the album. In that regard, it is a little surprising it was not one of the songs Faith chose to create a music video for. Other songs on the album had a bit of a slower pace like ‘Falling Down,’ or ‘Last Night on Earth,’ which fans may appreciate if they are looking for more reflective songs where they can dissect lyrics. Some of the songs later on in the track list, ‘Me Time,’ ‘I’d Die for You’ and ‘If Loving You Was Easy’ especially are admittedly a little more forgettable, even if their commentary on motherhood and strained relationships is powerful.  

Unlike many British singers, Paloma Faith typically does not lose her accent in her songs, something that, in the past, made her stand out among soul artists like Adele. But Faith’s particular dialect, which partly made her first studio album, ‘Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?’ certified double platinum in the UK in 2009, is noticeably spotty throughout this album. Some fans have said that Faith’s sound has only matured with ‘Infinite Things,’ but some who preferred this dialect may be slightly disappointed in its occasional absence. 

The sound of the album is consistent, and the songs that are exceptional outweigh the ones that lack that same memorable quality. Fans overall have nothing but praise for Paloma Faith’s latest work and truly treasure ‘Infinite Things’ as it is.