Sevdaliza makes avant-garde pop that draws on vulnerability to create deeply personal yet observational reflections on the female experience. And her latest EP Raving Dahlia is no exception: it takes us through the rooms of the Iranian-Dutch singer’s subconscious, from the moody trip-hop of opening track “System”, to the acoustic longing of “High Alone” and existential club banger “Everything is everything”. On lead single “The Great Hope Design”, she questions the feasibility of existence by exploring themes of truth and artificial intelligence – a topic that Sevdaliza touched on last year when she unveiled her femmebot Dahlia, made to “convey the harsh truth about navigating in the music industry as a woman who does not conform to an industry standard – sonically, physically, and mentally”. Proving that she is the master of her own design, the artist asserts: “No man can guide me/ I am my own God.”
Elsewhere, Avril Lavigne returns to her pop-punk roots on her highly-anticipated comeback, Huerco S releases his first album in six years, and RIP Swirl shares a moody debut.
