Backwater

Whatever the term “family band” brings to mind, cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam likely have another approach. The Melbourne, Australia-based duo known as Kllo are beat-slingers who create a cacophony of blips and chopped rhythms and wrap them around soft, R&B-fused vocal hooks. After two successful EPs, their debut full-length, Backwater, has arrived loaded with electric pop shimmer. The chill “Predicament” has a kaleidoscopic body swirling beneath Kaul’s confused heart, “Tell me you’re the one/but you’re not the one.” It’s not all so straightforward. The theme of the album is moving through that murky self, a response to the duo’s long stretches of touring through new towns and countries and the sort of personal reflection and adjustments that came along with it. In that sense, it’s cathartic. The energetic drops and plateaus on “Last Yearn” draw you in because it feels so genuine. Enjoy it at your next family reunion.