Soulful singer-songwriter Denai Moore is the archetypal millennial music magpie. The songs on her past two EPs shifted from one genre to another, and on this debut album she sometimes switches tack mid-track, pulling from elements of folk, indie and R&B. Her thickly textured voice anchors what might otherwise feel like a scattered collection of morose songs exploring insecurity, loss and a loosely nebulous sense of yearning. Elsewhere feels primed for post-breakup sob sessions or sombre alone time – and as a result, its scope can feel limited. Moore excels when she focuses her lens on the intimate details of faltering relationships, as on No Light or single I Swore, but she rarely breaks out of a slow-tempo wash of sadness over three-part vocal harmonies and sparse bass thuds. XL Recording’s in-house producer Rodaidh McDonald (the XX, Daughter) leaves his echoey-drum and vocal-centric stamp all over Elsewhere: it sounds lush and layered, but sometimes favours post-rock flourishes over understated clarity.
