Sometimes, lesser-known artists make some of the best albums of the year.  I’m really liking the new one from Ophelia Sullivan, and I think their new album Disposable Identity is a real gem.  The album released today, October 30^th, and is definitely worth your time.

You may remember Ophelia from an album I reviewed in 2021, Interdependence from Aphexia.  That was a project from Ophelia until they decided to use their own name, and I think I prefer it that way.  Ophelia can be heard on vocals, programming, and guitars, and they bring with them an array of guests who offer piano, drums, cello, violin, viola, and double bass.  This album certainly sounds larger than anything they’ve made in the past.

I would say that Aphexia was more electronic and trip hop, while this album is more rock and metal, but you will hear all of them throughout both anyways.  You will also hear gorgeous keys and orchestrations—a real highlight—that enhance the flow and climax of so many tracks.  I would call it post-prog with alternative and pop influences, as there really is a little bit of everything here.

As with Aphexia, too, the lyrics are thoughtful, personal, and often raw.  There is visceral imagery within it that depicts feelings of coldness, inner struggle, and even death.  There is a sense of longing to be known, for revealing what’s on the inside, and for celebrating life when the core emerges.  I really appreciate these ideas.

One thing that surprised me was the sheer scale of this album.  It feels like an epic progressive work as it weaves and winds its way through different ideas and song structures.  It has 9 tracks, and most of them are 5-8 minutes in length, and so the album can breathe and take its time progressing and growing and exploring.

For my two cents, the last half is slightly stronger than the first half.  The first four tracks are all great, though, from the claustrophobic rock of “Hourglass” to the cold and haunting passages of “Disposable” to the ambient transitioning to catchy chorus of “The Key” to one of my favorites, the trip hopping and gorgeous strings of “Rest Your Trigger On My Finger”.  The first half feels significantly darker and more atmospheric than the second half.

“Fading” starts the last half, and I love it.  It is like a transition of sorts; it feels atmospheric but becomes more upbeat, and I swear the keys in the second half remind me of 00s Porcupine Tree.  That sort of feeling remains with “Blue”, a song that reminds me intensely of “Out on a Limb” from the Lunatic Soul debut, but it quickly becomes more than that as sparks of electronica and guitar take us into some psychedelic territory.  It’s a fantastic track.  “The Game” comes next, and I love it, too, with its casual gait, heavy use of cello, and subtle climax that feels quietly cinematic and so beautiful.

The last couple songs are some of my favorites.  “Farewell to the Suffering” has one of the best choruses on the album, and I like how strange and unapologetic the structure is; it feels spiny and cold, but also confident and flourishing.  The closer, “Core”, is a treasure with its haunted, ethereal mental state that comes and goes in something of a slow burn, but the sparkling keys in the second half lead into a progressive zenith that ends the album with an engaging charge into the future. 

Ophelia has really made something special here.  Their combination of vulnerable lyrics and textured soundscapes with rock and metal portions feels right, and I love how tightly written it all seems, even when it also comes across as drifting and lonely at times.  This is an album chock full of humanity and careful consideration.  I hope you’ll give it a shot.

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