Pleasure

Sondre Lerche isn’t an artist to be pinned down. The Norwegian-turned-New Yorker can somehow fuse easily absorbed bossa nova arrangements with erratic, shape-shifting electronic attacks into a digestible, hook-savvy pop song. It’s a feat, to say the least. Pleasure further proves his ability. There’s a clear knack here for 1980s pop, specifically on tunes like “I’m Always Watching You.” What separates Lerche’s songs from easy electro-pop is the friction-filled sonic breakdowns that inevitably explode mid-song, with yo-yoing synth melodies or cacophonies of electric grit. The latter half of the album dips further into a more palpable jazz influence, especially the guitar on “Violent Tone,” but inevitably the song still swings into a more electronic-heavy ferocity. “Serenading in the Trenches” and “Reminisce” have a somewhat Rufus Wainwright feel with their fluid delivery, but Lerche’s erratic vocals are unmistakable. He’s not a man for boundaries, and watching him destroy them is the best part.