Originally released in 2023, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek marks a new milestone in her career: critically acclaimed with nods to production, lyricism, emotional depth, and praise to the era overall.
A year after the release date, Feb 14, Polachek gives fans the deluxe version of the album, the Everasking Edition, as a Valentine’s Day special.
The album title immediately catches attention and is reinforced through the themes of the album. Welcome to my Island is a nod spent to her time after her first album, Pang, and begins with a blaring showcase of synthpop and lyricism (“Too high on your adrenaline / You gotta go somewhere you can’t pretend”), and was accompanied by live performances on The Tonight Show and the Glastonbury Festival, both in 2023.
The second track, Pretty in Possible, rightfully has high reviews for its dreamlike vocals paired with an upbeat, shuffling beat. Crude Drawing Of An Angel is a song based on the concept of drawing – using the dual meaning of the word – to turn imagination into a scene (“Draw the blinds / Draw the bath / It’s a matter of time / ‘Til you wake up and watch me”).. The track is electronic, mimicking a popular style of the 90’s. The unique production of many of the songs, including I Believe, include Polachek’s own vocals in placement of different electronic-produced instruments, adding a personal flair to the album.
The Everasking Edition strays a bit from the original album with the new tracks. I Believe now has an acoustic version, but keeps the same energy as the original. Butterfly Net, an original track, now has a feature from Weyes Blood, a popular alternative indie singer-songwriter. The two fit together well, and the track was released as a single shortly before the release of the new edition.
Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth has the same electronic, experimental sound of the original edition, but employs simpler, repetitive lyrics. Again, Polachek enforces mimicking background vocals over certain spoken parts of the song, giving a poetry-esque track.
Notable tracks overall include Gambler’s Prayer, which showcases softer, lighter vocals with moving lyrics (“I can hardly breathe, knowing you’re near”), and Blood and Butter, the fifth single and a personal, psychedelic folk song. Pretty In Possible deserves a second mention here, as the track truly stands out from Polachek’s other work, (changed my life the first time I heard it).
The full edition of the album sits at 19 tracks, spanning 1 hour and 13 minutes. Fans of Polachek may like And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood, SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama, and Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land by MARINA.
Final Ranking: The Everasking Edition pushes the already great album to an exceptional piece of art, landing at 10/10 (11/10, if I could). Without the bonus tracks, 9.5/10.
