Adja - Golden Retrieve Her [Sdban]

Format: LP in printed sleeve.
CAT: SDBANULP44

Brussels-based artist Adja Fassa releases her debut album, two years after her well-received EP IRONEYE, and it promises to be quite a journey.

This contemporary work features 11 stories, each exploring the impact our capitalist society has on our most intimate moments: from dystopian neo-soul tales about Deliveroo drivers harassed by telemarketers (both literally selling/delivering "hopes and dreams"), to reinterpretations of jazz standards and classical pieces that speak of friendships conditioned by time and money. We even find her own version of a protest rock song to sing along to, titled ‘Sucking on my Emphatitties’. And then there's the main theme, ‘Golden Retrieve Her’, which is both an accumulation of emotions and musical curiosities.

“‘Golden Retrieve Her’ is a wordplay on wanting to retrieve my kindness within a violent social system. At the same time, it criticizes the fact that we, as the masses, are often asked to be naive or to pretend to be so. All of this is condensed into a visual image of what our system considers ‘the perfect, obedient nuclear family’: a gentle couple with 2.4 children, a house in the suburbs and... a Golden Retriever.” ~ Adja

Serious and concrete themes, wrapped in a symbolic package, as Adja values both clarity and critical thinking and, paradoxically, a touch of mysticism. For the visual aspect, she created four self-made tarot cards, representing the four themes of the album:

‘The Wheel Of Fortune’ embodies the desire to gain an advantage in a system that does not align with your values. ‘The Mirror’ represents projection and similarity in lost connections (whether with strangers or friends). ‘The Dark Wheel’ symbolizes the turning point of the wheel of fortune, where one completely surrenders to one's own moral downfall. And ‘The Cave’ represents the return—sometimes painful, sometimes pleasant—to one's own mind and heart.

Musically, the album contains as much variety as its titles, as Adja continues to explore her own depths as an artist and musician, alongside her accomplice, jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger Alexis Nootens. She also collaborated with producer Adam Scrimshire, highlighted by The Guardian as one of the three most important soul producers in the UK alongside Swindle and Inflo, and with renowned Belgian producer, mixing engineer, and musician Koen Gisen, who guided her to deepen her production skills. Finally, she brought together 13 musicians to bring the album's sound to life, including her 5 regular members and 8 studio musicians from across Europe. As we said: it promises to be quite a journey.