Grammy-nominated American producer Tokimonsta, real name Jennifer Lee, postponed the release of this seventh album, originally due out last autumn, so she could care for her best friend in her final days. It followed Lee’s own health scare – in early 2016 she underwent two brain surgery operations following her diagnosis with Moyamoya disease, briefly losing language and comprehension skills.
Music was a solace then, and Eternal Reverie’s splashy, hyperkinetic journey through dance music now feels like an urgent celebration of life. The shimmering disco-pop of Lucky U, fuelled by guest vocalist Gavin Turek’s airy vocals, is a high point, as is the laid-back soul of On Sum, with Anderson .Paak highlighting the virtues of molecule-altering love atop Lee’s juddering production built around rolling drum fills. Sci Fi, meanwhile, finds Lee using buoyant, old-school hip-hop break beats to highlight rapper Mez’s tight verses.
The collaborative tracks – Cakes Da Killa, Amaka and Rae Khalil also feature – are the most grabby, but it’s on the quieter instrumentals, such as Eternal and the warmth of Infinite Embrace, that Lee shows her skills as a storyteller and the album finds its beating heart.
