Billy Nomates – CACTI
Billy Nomates' new album CACTI is markedly more subdued than her self-titled debut, taking a tangled walk through depression
If you’ve ever set a child loose in a sweetie shop then you’ll have some sense of the joy of production on CACTI. It’s a self-guided journey through genre, facilitated by old mixtapes and a dusty organ at Invada Studios (see: roundabout sadness).
Self-sufficiency is a large part of Billy Nomates’ appeal, but it feels like this solitary approach to recording doesn’t really do her justice. CACTI is understandably more subdued than her self-titled debut, but the boisterous numbers it does contain, like spite, might feel more dynamic played live by humans – it feels like the energy that makes her such a captivating performer is being restricted by her drum machine.
CACTI portrays the road through depression, but not with any sort of neat path that resolves with a happy ending. If anything, it’s the opposite – the only track that offers a sliver of hope is blue bones (deathwish), an account of becoming disillusioned with depression that comes third in the tracklisting. Instead CACTI ends with a distant belt into the abyss: 'I can’t wait for the blackout signal / Yeah I dream of shutdowns now'. It’s a breath of fresh air, but we’re left wishing we’d got more of it sooner.
Listen to: blue bones (deathwish), roundabout sadness, spite