Absolutely - Paracosm 

Named after what press materials call “a fully realised, detailed imaginary world, often created during childhood,” ‘Paracosm’ really does stand as a paragon of its titular concept, blending naivety and complexity in a way that somehow both befits and outstrips Abby Keen’s 22 years. Building on the foundations of her 2023 debut ‘CEREBRUM’, here Absolutely (as she’s professionally known) aptly moves from its more tangible pop into an altogether weirder realm.

While the honeyed R&B of ‘Painting By Numbers’ and the wide-eyed, open-hearted innocence of ‘Simple Things’ prove she can shoot straight when she wants to, it’s in contradiction where she truly thrives: ‘Natural Disaster’ borrows experimental, industrial pop textures from the likes of Charli and twigs to offset its guileless vocal line; ‘Goodbye Glitter’ sets tiptoeing strings against spacey sonics for crescendoing high drama, like a Bond theme put through a blender; and ‘Helium’ - the closest she strays to her sister RAYE’s sound - transmorphes a pseudo piano ballad into a jazzy love-in of kicked-back percussion, sexy sax flourishes, and soaring vocal ad libs. Assuredly backing up the viral success of ‘I Just Don’t Know You Yet’, ‘Paracosm’ is a truly kaleidoscopic affair.