This London group perfect their uneasy blend of heartbreak, humor, and haze on their captivating third album, Asha Lorenz says the title of her band Sorry’s third album was inspired by meeting documentary filmmaker (and Massive Attack collaborator) Adam Curtis, who told them his next project was about cosplay — and how he felt the whole world is just cosplaying everything. It struck a chord with Lorenz, who felt the new songs Sorry had been working on were all like trying on different outfits.
Of course, the different styles Sorry try on are all filtered through the band’s distinctive sound — bummed out, dark, a sludgy melting point of indie rock and dance music — which end up sounding only like themselves. They quote Burt Bacharach’s “Save a Little Prayer” and Toni Basil’s “Mickey,” sample Guided by Voices’ “Hot Freaks,” and dabble in loungey exotica and downtempo electronics. “Some big cultural references feel so far away from what they used to mean that they’re almost like inanimate objects that are part of the furniture,” Lorenz said.
“Cosplay” feels like Lorenz and band cofounder Louis O’Bryen searching for meaning, identity, and connection in an increasingly fractured world. It’s a lonely album, one where even love feels fleeting. “I think we’re losing now / I think we’re fucking it up / But it felt so good / When we were drifting in the dark,” Lorenz sings on “Echoes,” her voice cracking into falsetto on the words “losing” and “fucking.” Its chorus — “Echo, echo, echo, echo I love you” — clings desperately to something that’s slipping away. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful, and arguably Sorry’s single finest moment to date.
“Echoes” sets a high standard, but the rest of “Cosplay” Sorry’s best record yet, by a mile — nearly matches it. The album most recalls Maxinquaye-era Tricky: sultry and sinister, evoking urban wastelands and post-industrial ruins, with a deep romantic streak. (It doesn’t sound like Tricky, but very similar vibes.) “Jetplane” rides manic, nervous energy with skittering beats and skronky sax bleats darting through the mix, while “Waxwing” turns Toni Basil’s cheerleader anthem inside out, coating it in glossy grime, dark synths, and a searing solo that drains all the pep from the source (in the best way).
Sorry have become masters of dynamics, shifting from delicate balladry to squalling rock epics within the span of a song (“Antelope”) and crafting eerie, music-hall sing-alongs with twisted undercurrents. They also know when to keep things smoldering, like on “Life In This Body,” a black-cloud duet between Asha and Louis that ties back to the album’s theme: “Everybody changes / I have loved every version of you.” “Cosplay” is a captivating record that pushes Sorry into the big leagues.
The Fat Angel Sings 