Christelle Bofale’s Swim Team is as quick to cut as it is to cradle. Amidst the smooth sway of seven-minute “U Ouchea,” the singer/guitarist sharply observes a two-timing ex: “You’re out here, tightroping/ You should’ve left that to the acrobats.” Her fearless intimacy within heartbroken lyrics weaves throughout tangled lullabies of jazz, soul, and bedroom indie-rock. In interviews, the songwriter credits her heritage and the expansiveness of Congolese song structures. Here, it translates to both ambitiousness and musical playfulness across five effervescent tracks laden with personal storytelling. “Moving On, Getting On” slips into a jazzy interlude cut by a wailing guitar line, while the addictive “Origami Dreams” skews simpler, chugging along on the mesmeric strum of dreamy guitar-pop. Swim Team feels amorphous, a densely textured and unpredictable ebb and flow steered by the ease of Bofale’s cool, velveteen voice, the final product both tenderhearted and unrestricted.
This article appears in May 31 • 2019.