Describe is the product of the double-edged sword of Hannah Jadagu’s rise to prominence following her debut album, which carried her far beyond her New York roots. While her adventures away from home provided invaluable musical experience, they came at the cost of a blossoming relationship back in the city. This album captures the collision of those two forces.
During her time away, Jadagu found herself surrounded by fellow musicians, an environment that nurtured her evolving talent. She experimented boldly with her vocals, synthesisers, and drum machines, a far cry from the intimate bedroom-pop of her debut, Aperture.
The opening track, “Describe,” sets the tone for the first half of the album, introducing themes of distance, loss, and personal growth with unflinching honesty. While her lyrics are vivid and emotive, the record never leans too heavily on words alone, instead letting lush instrumentals and trance-inflected production guide the listener through her story. This narrative continues with “Gimme Time,” a direct window into the inner workings and conflicts of her relationship, while “D.I.A.A” uses a standout bassline to push the music into heavier, more emotionally charged territory as it tracks a love running its course.
Throughout the record, Jadagu layers drum machines, harmonised vocals, and electronic flourishes to explore this new chapter of her life and sound. Her dreamy vocals are especially entrancing on “Miracles,” where the track itself feels like a fantasy, carried by the calm yet captivating presence of her voice. The album closes with “Bergamot,” which ramps up both emotional rawness and musical intensity, landing on a finale that teeters between acceptance and bargaining, like two children on a seesaw.
Jadagu’s emotional journey is far from over, but Describe allows fans to sit with her vulnerability and artistry, while leaving anticipation high for wherever her next album might take us.