For over a decade, Orlando-born Mackenzie Ruth Scott has been delivering a palette of assured and emotional releases under the name TORRES. From the moody and bracing ‘Three Futures’ in 2017, to 2021’s grunge-tinted ‘Thirstier’, TORRES’s prolific nature has steadily remained for the better, her quantity superbly matching the quality. A singer-songwriter without confinement to the often-reductive nature of the term, TORRES is a true master of evolution and sonic progression. This is boasted once again on the brand-new record ‘What an enormous room’.
A grandiose work of art, ‘What an enormous room’ develops TORRES’s passion for the theatrical, the outcome a layered and idiosyncratic moment in her discography. The array of textures here is remarkable, the arena-infused stomp of ‘Collect’ a stark contrast to the intimate and lo-fi ‘Songbird’. The latter closes out this album, doing so over a bed of birdsong and rich synthesiser pads. ‘What an enormous room’ is difficult to pinpoint, perhaps a reason for the lack of truly notable toplines, especially when compared to moments on previous records.
However, this record does not seem to be bothered by this; TORRES is an artist, and ‘What an enormous room’ began as a blank canvas and has resulted in a technicolour dream state. The instrumentation from start to finish is rich and stratified, and TORRES’ vocal performance is as reliable and secure as ever. ‘Forever home’ houses some of the most delightful indie-pop production in a minute, a gentle rhythm sections lays the foundation for woozy guitars and buzzy synths.
Though TORRES may not showcase the hooks of some of her counterparts, what she lacks in melodic memorability she makes up for in innovation and a clear and distinct commitment to the redevelopment and rejuvenation of her own artistic identity. ‘What an enormous room’ is an amalgamation of its title: an expansive collection of tracks, difficult to define, but somehow remains undeniably TORRES.
8/10
Words: James Mellen
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