Polaroid Fade – ‘Chaos Into Poetry’ [Album Review]

Hailing from Vineland, New Jersey, dream-pop outfit Polaroid Fade releases their debut album, Chaos Into Poetry, a collection of tracks recorded at the home studio of lead vocalist and songwriter Nicoletta.

Polaroid Fade’s genesis occurred when, during the pandemic, 14-year-old Nicoletta first picked up an acoustic guitar, immersing herself in the music of The Smiths, The Sundays, and Radiohead. Nicoletta soon began writing her own material, crafting melodies with lyrics exploring leitmotifs of love, life, and wonder.

When she teamed up with guitarist Tyler Bronn, Polaroid Fade’s sound began to take shape – a heady blend of dream-pop, jangle pop, new wave, and alt-rock that envelopes listeners in washes of intoxicating nostalgia.

Highlights on the 10-track album include “Bliss,” with its pushing rhythm and dreamy surface textures. Nicoletta’s deliciously pensive vocals imbue the lyrics with gently gliding textures as if catching wonderfully soaring updrafts.

A personal favorite because of its echoing new wave flavors, “Any Other Way” slides along atop slightly jangly guitars as Nicoletta lets her silky-smooth voice transport listeners to another world. It’s a voice vaguely reminiscent of Stevie Nicks, yet more translucent and graceful.

Polaroid Fade, photo courtesy Shore Points Records

“Worry About Me Later” conjures up hints of Liz Phair with its alt-rock feel and Nicoletta’s evocatively inflected tones. While the soft, creamy flow of “Cotton Candy Skies” reveals plush layers of luxurious dream-pop topped by Nicoletta’s delicately rich voice.

For some reason, the new wave flow of “Thursday” takes you back to Depeche Mode because of its echoey resonance and layered, angular guitars. The final track, “In My World,” rides a somewhat off-tempo rhythm that gives the song the sensation of being lost in an opulent dreamscape. Nicoletta’s gorgeously warbling vocals drift and float on hypnotic tendrils.

There’s a yummy laissez-faire attitude about Polaroid Fade, a policy that allows their music to attain an alluring, effortless mood.

Chaos Into Poetry Track Listing:

1. Cardigan
2. Bliss
3. Any Other Way
4. Delancey
5. Worry About Me Later
6. Cotton Candy Skies
7. Scared
8. Thursday
9. Things We Said
10. In My World

Run Time: 37:00
Release Date: November 22, 2024
Record Label: Shore Points Records