Label: DominoRelease Date: 5th December As far as modern psych travellers go Melody's Echo Chamber has put out some of the best cosmic folk rock and pop records since their 2012 debut. One of the things that makes Melody's records so lush, textured and mind-expanding is her keen choice of collaborators from her Kevin Parker produced debut, the Dungen backed follow-ups and then onto 2025 'Unclouded' where she brings in Swedish library funk maestro Sven Wunder into the fold with Malcolm Catto on drums and a track produced by the unstoppable El Michels Affair. The album sees Melody step into a more hip hop breaks and hazy psych sound, which may just sneak into many an album of the year list. On her fourth album, Unclouded, Melody’s Echo Chamber embarks on a life-affirming new chapter with an album that celebrates the present moment, whatever state we find ourselves in. There’s a continuity that runs through Melody’s Echo Chamber’s brand of psychedelic pop going back to 2012’s self-titled debut but now comes a perfectly executed shaking up of personnel. Unclouded’s impressive cast includes Swedish maestro Sven Wunder, who co-produced the record and contributed to the writing, bringing his unique sonic palette to the richly-textured canvas; Josefin Runsteen on strings, who brings her avant-garde smarts to the tableau; Dina Ögon’s Daniel Ögen on guitar and Love Orsan on bass who Melody describes as “masters of the velvet groove”; British drummer Malcolm Catto, collaborator with Madlib and DJ Shadow, and the powerhouse behind The Heliocentrics; and frequent collaborator Reine Fiske whose guitar parts can be heard throughout the record. Last but not least, Leon Michels - the Wu-Tang, The Carters, Norah Jones and Clairo collaborator - worked with Melody on the album’s closer “Daisy”, a sparkling pop song plucked from the ether. El Michels Affair’s Grammy-winning mixer Jens Jungkurth was drafted in to bring everything to life.
