Here is the debut, self-Ltled album from a.s.o., singer/songwriter Alia Seror-O'Neill, and producer Lewie Day. 'a.s.o.' is a themaLc consolidaLon of the previous three singles and an impressive arLsLc progression. Day and Seror-O'Neill show they've mastered the format of the radio-friendly pop song and found how to subvert it completely. Across eleven songs, they have built a rich and compelling body of work. We know where we are now, emoLonally complex, trip-hop torch songs for club freaks. But the paleje has broadened to encompass ethereal dream pop à la Cocteau Twins, slow-burning AOR-soul, and dubwise stylings. As a result, 'a.s.o.' is a saLsfyingly coherent listen but never a musical monoculture. Variously there are nods toward Julee Cruise, Fleetwood Mac, and the uneasy listening of PorLshead. It's an album that wears its influences lightly, is never weighed down by them, and always sure of its own idenLty. It's anchored by Alia's unique voice. Her words speak of restraint and release, taking us from the elegiac to the euphoric. This elegantly craqed, perfect pop music sounds like it has had enough of your shit. And Day's music is the perfect foil; deep, slightly menacing, restrained, and powerful. The album has a cinemaLc texture, as with David Lynch; the seemingly familiar becomes uncanny and strange the closer we look. a.s.o. take our emoLons for a joyride before leaving us floaLng in space. 'a.s.o.' is a journey; by its end, we all are changed.