Album: Indigo de Souza - Precipice

Indigo de Souza, a singer from North Carolina, has established some reputation, mostly in the States, for combining indie, pop and emotionally open lyrical heft. This is her fourth album, but her first on a larger label, Loma Vista (she was previously on Bright Eyes-associated Saddle Creek). On Precipice she lays down a fusion of chart-style femme-pop and heartfelt guitar anthems.

It’s usually engaging and sometimes outstanding. Precipice was put together with musician-producer Elliott Kozel, who’s worked with SZA, Billie Eilish’s brother FINNEAS, and others. It has a polish to it – fortunately not too much – that places it near the musical terrain of Halsey and Lorde. But, de Souza’s music regularly has guitar play that sets it apart from those singers.

Most albums tend to start strong, but Precipice takes a moment to warm up. The opening couple of songs are not particularly memorable or typical of what follows so let’s skip forward. “Crush” and “Not Afraid” continue in a loved-up fashion, but are more musically interesting, the former a suitably prolactin-warm, throbbing ode to cunnilingus, and the latter a woozy, synth slowie about making the most of love when death’s always waiting in the wings

Et in arcadia ego is a common theme in de Souza’s work and “Be Like the Water” is another death-centric love song, floaty, thoughtful, bubbly, and more-ish. “Heartthrob” is lyrically clever, but could be misread, a catchy U2-ish cut, bravely messy, around the ambiguity and confusion engendered by predatory sexual behaviour. From these two onwards, whether soft or upbeat, the album flies, notably on the country-tinted “Heartbreaker” which pinpoints how desire can be for someone highly unsuitable (“You’re making me sick, it’s making my skin crawl” but “I’m gonna lose my mind missing you”).

The latter song has “classic” written over it, but nine of these 11 tracks are also well worthwhile. That’s a good hit rate.

• More New Music reviews on theartsdesk

Below: watch the video for "Heartthob" by Indigo de Souza