When Annie Clark - better known as St. Vincent - dropped her sixth studio album, Daddy's home, in May 2021, she pulled off another of her trademark visual and musical rebrandings. Moving away from the sharp, neon-drenched, technicolor pop of her previous record Masseduction, this album marked a deeply personal and artistic shift. The record was heavily inspired by her father's release from prison at the end of 2019, prompting Clark to look back at the records they used to listen to together, ultimately creating a gritty, character-driven tribute to a bygone era.

The overall sound is a wonderfully sleazy, warm dive into early seventies New York City. Moving far away from her usual futuristic guitar heroics, Clark relies on a retro palette of sitars, Wurlitzers, pedal steel, and soulful background vocalists. It is a brilliant blend of lounge-pop and psychedelic funk that feels hazy, glamorous, and slightly dangerous. Her vocals take on a distinctly theatrical, storyteller quality, making you feel like you are sitting in a smoke-filled, velvet-walled underground club while the band cooks up a heavy, analogue groove on stage.

The tracklist boasts some incredible standouts, from the slinky, Bowie-esque strut of Pay your way in pain to the gorgeous, slow-burning tribute to her musical heroes on The melting of the sun. Then you have the infectious, bass-driven rhythm of Down, which brings a welcome burst of sharp, aggressive energy to the party. Years after its release, Daddy's home is still a fantastic record to revisit because it shows an artist completely comfortable with shedding her armour. It is a fun, heavily textured, and deeply human album that prioritises feel and mood over digital perfection.