The band Princess Goes formally known as Princess Goes To the Butterfly Museum came together with Michael C. Hall (David Bowie’s Lazarus, Dexter), Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers, Morningwood) and Matt Katz-Bohen (Blondie, Cyndi Lauper) and return with a new album ‘Come of Age’ which follows on from their 2021 debut ‘Thanks For Coming’.
The new album opens with `Offering` which kind of develops from a quiet beginning into a synth led dance track with vocals that are passionately shared on route. There was a delightfully expansive feel to the pulsating `Let It Go` which raced along and will have you at the very least nodding and tapping your foot as it evolves.
`BLUR` has a hushed charm as it expands with a throbbing underlying beat and ardent heartfelt pleading vocals sprinkled atop, a wonderfully anthemic offering with electronic strings joining in the later sector. There`s a driving rhythm to title track `Come Of Age` which has an inherent power and feels as if the guys are restraining it`s underlying force, strength, and danger.
`Shimmer` as its title suggests does what it says on the tin and sparkles. A number for me that had the glistening intensity of the latter-day Bowie compositions. There`s a similar vibe at moments throughout `Jetpack` but this time it`s much more reflective with a kind of probing backing vocal challenging the narrative content.
`Glasswing` is a mid-paced composition which I found enticingly hypnotic whereas ‘Take Me Home` was much more thoughtful and swayed between some trace like moments to more forceful passages which had a dynamic heavier rock texture before ending abruptly.
`Beija` is a homage to Beija Flo, a musician and artist who opened the band`s debut live shows in the UK and inspired the trio with her immense heart and energy. It has an expansive feel and is balanced with some backing vocals from Chantal Claret a former Morningwood bandmate of Peter Yanowitz. There was almost a stream of consciousness reverie about `Saving Grace`, a gentle dreamlike submission that has a trippy vibe and utilises the talents of Anthony Roth Costanza, a countertenor in the opera world.
`Whatever Whispers` has a lively and playful pop tempo which is broken towards the latter part with a spoken word segment from Maria Peña Paris. The album closes out with `Floating` a deep thoughtful ballad like piece that gains an intensity not only musically but volubly as it progresses and evolves.
‘Come of Age’ is a fairly diverse offering with a dozen cuts that are at times pretty intense then much more uplifting. It has a kind of yin and yang feel with shades of dark and light but always finely balanced. At its heart is an electronic/rock beating heart.
An album that i`m sure will offer further insights the more you return to it.
Rating 8 /10
