8/10

Throughout these last few years, Norwegian producer Mörmaid has been seen as one of the more progressive names on the Scandinavian alt-pop circuit. While many of her contemporaries have pursued a more mainstream appeal, she prefers to delve deeper into her aesthetic, emerging with some brilliantly fresh and inventive offerings over the years. Now with the buzz building around her once again, she delivers her eagerly-awaited debut album 'Pearlescent Dark', a record that builds upon that illustrious nature of hers so far.

While her tenure has certainly been filled with plenty of dynamic releases, 'Pearlescent Dark' sees her push her sound and direction as far as it will go. Branching out from her formative guise to deliver a brilliantly diverse collection of gems here, she moves with this elegant grace no matter what genre she chooses to explore. While the general tone of this new release is very much in line with her darker and more brooding material, there is this rigorous energy layered throughout, giving the LP an incredibly absorbing pace that leaves us lingering for more after every track.

She has certainly developed some wonderfully passionate songwriting and production over the years, but 'Pearlescent Dark' feels like a far different beast altogether. Bright, bold, and innovative at every turn, Mörmaid has unveiled one of the more impactful debut albums of the year so far.