Through a Tunnel of Isolation, Desire, and Longing, Caroline Polachek Releases Her Sophomore Album
Photo by Aidan Zamiri
Written by Eli Nava
Released on Valentine’s Day, Caroline Polacheck’s sophomore album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, expertly oscillates between the messiness of desire, love, and isolation through 12 tracks that are made to be played during hazy, summer nights. Largely in collaboration with Danny L. Harle—who she previously worked with to produce Pang—Polacheck grounds herself in Desire while maintaining classic elements of her early experimental sound.
Opening with the single “Welcome To My Island,” Polacheck begins by delving into the waters of isolation. With achy vocals and a chorus that repeats the album’s title, this track immediately sets up the album’s main theme: the struggle between desiring connection and isolation. “Nothing’s gonna be the same again,” the singer cements. The lonely guitar solo contributes to this feeling—with Polacheck learning to play it herself in the studio without previous knowledge—and creates a point of tension in the powerful opener. The next track is a softer one, and “Pretty in Possible” lingers down the stream of melodies as it lacks punchier verses and is without a solid chorus. “Pretty in Possible” provides a contrast to the opener, and Polachek’s vocals gently linger a sea of da da da’s as the track slowly lays its listeners down.
Transitioning to a faster, more upbeat track, the lead single “Bunny Is A Rider” continues to explore isolation, this time in an empowered light. Polacheck says that this track is about “being unavailable.” In a culture that is defined by connection at all times via social media timelines, text messages, and hundreds of other forms of communication, this track is a necessity. With an addicting whistle melody, giggle memos, and catchy lyrics like “Bunny is a rider / Satellite can’t find her,” this song is a certified summer anthem about going off the grid. Track four and the third single off Desire, “Sunset,” is an homage to Spanish and Italian Folk music and proves to be the most timeless pop song off of Desire. Its timelessness is only emphasized by lyrics that take you through a relationship that feels eternal.
“Crude Drawing Of An Angel” slows down the pace again and is one of the most haunting tracks of Polachek’s discography thus far. Using the word “draw” throughout its verses and talking about scornful lust, Polacheck’s vocals are desperate, demanding, and drawn out. However, the whistle melody keeps the song cohesive with the album. Halfway through, “I Believe” is an ode to the inspirational and iconic music producer, songwriter, and singer Sophie who was a long-time friend to Polacheck. In Sophie’s honor, Polacheck soulfully sings, “I don’t know, but I believe / We’ll get another day together,” and is a painfully sincere and hopeful track about wanting more time with a person.
One of the only songs where an artist is featured, “Fly To You,” opens with Grimes’ lower, breathy vocals. This song grapples between loving and hating someone and, despite this, wanting to be as close to them as possible. Polacheck joins Grimes for the layered chorus, and Dido joins them in the second verse and outro. Overall, the track is made for a warm summer night where obsession drips alongside the heat. “Blood and Butter” is another summer night track, just begging to be played during a montage scene in a teen, coming-of-age indie film. When the acoustic guitar builds in the pre-chorus in the second half, joined by bagpipes, the song creates a dynamic, fulfilling listening experience.
The most angelic vocal performance off the album, “Hopedrunk Everasking,” transports listeners into a tunnel of intimacy with its layered, space-like vocals. “Pull close to me and never be alone,” Polacheck breathes as she searches for connection through the messiness of life. This track brings the album to a halt and creates a melody that can only be described as being stuck on an island in outer space. Cut from the same cloth as the previous track, “Butterfly Net” builds again on acoustic guitar and a steady drum beat to make its point. “There I was / With my butterfly net / Trying to catch your light,” Polacheck cries out, still stuck inside the tunnel of her desire.
As we near the album's end, Polacheck brings listeners back with tracks that create an air of nostalgia around her debut album, Pang. Premiered in 2021 during her festival run, “Smoke” was first heard by live audiences and ultimately made it to the final cut of Desire—rightfully so. “Smoke” is a track that relies on metaphor and the connection of nature to the self. “It’s just smoke / Floating over the volcano,” the singer belts. In doing so, Polacheck represses the bubbling emotions of her smoking “volcano” and ends with the track erupting in a final agonizingly beautiful scream of desperation. Ending with the second released single, “Billions,” it is safe to say that this is the most nonsensical track off Desire and a brilliant closer. Lyrically, it is easy to get swallowed by “sexting sonnets / under the tables” and “here’s the pearl / I’m the oyster,” and crescendos into a final chorus that repeats “I’ve never felt so close to you.” Joined by the Trinity Children’s Choir, Polacheck’s voice meshes with the voices around her in a song that ends in contrast to where the album began—from isolation to the longing hope of genuine connection. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You revels in dichotomy and contradiction to remind us that, in the end, we are all defined by desire.