Aromanticism

On his latest effort, Aromanticism, Moses Sumney delivers a cold embrace of isolation. It’s the sort of sentiment that, when paired with nod-out tempos and an anti-R&B sound, would seem to paint a bit of a bleak picture. Add to that a despondency that flutters in and out of Sumney’s hopeless lyrical prose and sparse, ethereal accoutrement, and the fairly dire-sounding song titles “Don’t Bother Calling,” “Doomed” and “Self-Help Tape.” Sumney’s vocals, though, are smoothly delivered lover’s croons, seemingly desperate for the realization of his lovesick daydreams and an eventual release from his jaded disposition. Jazzy flourishes help to drive some of the sleepier cuts, like the cosmic Stevie Wonder-inspired “Quarrel,” which twists meditative piano and synth lines toward the spoken-word vignette of “Stoicism,” followed by perhaps the LP’s finest track, “Lonely World.” It’s a record full of lullaby-ready post-breakup anthems, adorned by overwhelming dejection of modern relationships and a whole lotta soul.