Album Review: Lower Dens - The Competition

It took four albums, but Baltimore’s mercurial Lower Dens have achieved their final form. The Competition is a sly, sophisticated avant-pop record for the late-night set, a slick piece of art that finally feels like a fully formed expression from the group.

It’s a protest album that keeps things personal, and while there’s some blunt force being applied, such as in Empire Sundown (“Look them in the eyes when they push you/ Off the raft and make them watch you drown”), they take care not to position the record as a rough cry for class war. It’s a pop record, so it’s about elevation and, more importantly, accessibility.

Band leader Jana Hunter doesn’t stretch their legs too much, their otherworldly style hovering at around the same register and the same pace as they've always done, drip-feeding their lyrics like cold honey. They do employ :3LON, aka Elon Battle, on several tracks, slightly edging the vibe into warmer neo-R&B territory.

The Competition is such a satisfying listen. It slides past its atmospheric first act into neon tech-noir nirvana with I Drive, a glistening track that glides along effortlessly. Several more stellar tracks follow suit, and it feels like Lower Dens had this in them all along, waiting to burst forth. It was worth the wait.