You could say that L.A-based Australian electro-pop siren Chela has undergone an emotional journey in her latest four-track offering, Delivery. Though swimming in electrifying synths and vocally energized hooks, there is a vulnerability that courses through the EP, dousing it with an invisible strength that upholds its walls, protecting all the magic within.
Written across different borders, Delivery tells an introspective story focused on many things, with self love at the centre of them all. "These songs have seen me over many places in the world, and in a sense, as I travelled solo over country borders, they were my only companions, changing in sound as I changed too," she confides. Each track marks a different journey, propelled by its own soundscape and lyrical haven. On the title track, Chela writes a loving confessional to an unknown lover, one she hopes to meet one day. Far from being sappy or forlorn, "Delivery" finds acceptance in a mid-tempo beat dressed in retro chords and a robust vocal delivery. A sentiment that is also not lost on "Heart O' Hearts", a lyrical battle between good and evil. Shimmering with charismatic synths, a pleading Chela advocates for growth in the face of hardship. "At least I’ll admit |That I’m far from a saint |But I’m open to change, I am open to change".
The latter half of the EP feels louder, with the search-for-meaning "Spirit Rich" falling somewhere in between a Pat Benatar ballad and a synth-rich dancefloor anthem. It's the closing track, "Losing Belief", however, that truly exemplifies Delivery as the shining treasure that it is. Written as "a mantra for those who lose belief in anything and need to be reminded that their own power is all they really need", it breaks all barriers with skillful arpeggios strengthened by a booming bass. The dramatic synths and lyrical breaks embrace the journey Chela has taken, packaging it up in a fiery finale perfectly suited for such an enigmatic, ever-evolving artist. "I feel even now as I release [this EP], that I continue to change sonically from this time, however these songs remain precious to my heart like a diary that I now must read out aloud, willingly and peacefully."
Chela's Delivery EP, out now via Minerva Records, is streaming on all platforms.
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