Working On My Senses

Charlotte Hatherley “Little Sahara”

Charlotte Hatherley’s new album New Worlds is obsessed with color, to such an extent that nearly every track describes understanding experiences and emotions via color metaphors rendered in sound and words. The art comes from a synesthetic point-of-view more than it evokes synethesia itself, but in a way the former is more intriguing. At points Hatherley sounds like a crackpot, but in the context of her dynamic, perky pop songs, her thrill in color and fascination with life becomes a visceral sensation. In “Little Sahara,” she imagines seeing her lover only as abstracted colorful light, casting aside the body for a total emotional freedom. The idea drifts off, but her excitement does not as the chorus hits over and over with urgency and desire. That’s the fun of New Worlds — not only does it shift perspective, but it embraces the joy of finding new things to see and love in the world around you.

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