Good luck trying to pin down electropop artist Wolkoff. On her full-length debut Without Shame, the Brooklyn-based Canadian crafts sounds that slip and slide through electronic genres and songs that freely alternate between sparse and symphonic. The eight-track album is danceable without trying too hard; none of these songs ever suffocates under the weight of its own beat, thanks to Wolkoff’s uncommon focus on narrative and melody. Her voice takes the spotlight on tracks such as the shimmering opener “While You Still Can” and the infectious “Fur Rabbit”, which features a playful succession of “heys!” to hype up the chorus.
To hear Wolkoff tell it, this is electropop that takes itself seriously despite its conspicuous free spirit. The artist describes her debut as “dance music that wants to know what happens when we stack up all that shame takes from us, against how it creates new possibilities. It delves into situations I’ve cycled through in order to flee from judgement. More importantly, the album explores what I believe people can accomplish by flying in the face of shame.”
That’s the thing about Without Shame: It takes you into the heart of darkness but always ends up showing you the light. The emotions of these eight songs spin and fluctuate almost at random, but like a rollercoaster car, they always find their way back home.
Without Shame is due out April 15th. Listen in to the full album stream below, and scroll down to check out Wolkoff’s upcoming tour dates.
Wolkoff 2016 Tour Dates:
04/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory %
05/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire %
% = w/ Jesse R. Berlin
