8/10

There’s a flicker of something raw and cinematic pulsing through Cheena Monsoon’s debut album 'Make Me Lighter'. The South London-based artist and producer has already made his mark as one of the capital's more progressive artists over the years, and now folds heartbreak and identity into a kaleidoscopic blend of synth-pop, balladry, and electronic experimentation that feels both deeply personal and strangely universal.

Opening with the kinetic rush of 'Lambeth to LA', Monsoon sets the tone early with beats that stutter and swell throughout, while jagged guitar bursts slicing through the euphoria. There’s joy here, chased with disillusionment. And that tension is where the record thrives.

Cheena Monsoon is a shape-shifter. On 'Majestic', the vocals dissolve into a wash of synth textures, while 'I Feel So' feels like a choral exhale, a moment of grace before the devastating honesty of 'Ace Queen', a piano-led love song that’s stripped down to its emotional core. But perhaps the most searing moment arrives with 'Autenticidad', a brave, bilingual anthem that reflects the cold realities of immigration. “Do you wanna be one of us? You will never be one of us” is a gut punch within this release as he lets the weight of lived experience do the talking.

Flamenco guitar, field recordings, punchy basslines, and glitchy synths all find space to breathe on this record, particularly in the latter half. There’s a truthfulness to this juxtaposition, highlighting the world as often heartbreaking, but dancing through it might be the only way to cope.

But its the final stretch that leans into the introspective. 'Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts' and 'Feel Something' pull us back into the quiet, post-party comedown. The closing line, “just be who you wanna be,” is a hard-earned wisdom whispered as the dawn breaks on this new LP.

Cheena Monsoon has crafted a work of intimacy and audacity, and if this is just his opening statement for the future, the chapters to come will certainly be unmissable.