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One of the magic tricks pop as an artform can pull is burying its grief under the ecstasy. GABUISLOST landed this act in their wonderful album, “all these faces.” Their danciest work to date, it marks an evolution for an already accomplished discography. Gabu’s delicious pop production gives a lovesick hunger to an album fraught with the highs, lows, and in-betweens of a relationship at its end. Its lo-fi melodies, earworm choruses, and emotive vocals betray a desperation under the synthetic glitz.

At a tight 26 minutes, the album cuts the fat for a track list of all bops. Opening with the song, “smile,” which sets the loop asking to try again, both “I” then “We.” Gabu’s bitcrushed synths and bouncy rhythms provide a soft beginning, quickly followed by the all caps “RUSH!,” which lives up to its title. This ringtone anthem evokes the ill communication of a heart moving faster than its tongue, craving a feeling left unanswered. With an insanely catchy chorus that you have to sing, (I can’t not say, “Morning text messages, that’s what I like to see”) “RUSH!” is a highlight amongst hits.

Rush, rush, I just can’t beat the rush

Am I in love?

You’re breaking up

Heart is feeling fuzzy, yea the signals gone

Caught in the whiplash of emotional fluctuations, the song is aided by a slower beat shift to highlight a complimentary feature by 2bagBreezoo. The comedown leads into the following track, “FOOL FOR YOU,” which captures the wounded self-esteem of relationship withdrawals, in which the sense of self gets lost in the wake. With a bass that tears through the track in a surprisingly balanced addition and a solid feature from lizzy’s personal army, it provides a nice pace to move into the following song, “likeadrug.” Gabu’s watery production and tail-wagging chorus is a perfect display of pop at its most addictive and heart soaked. Bursting into an explosive ending that caps the mid-point of the album.

“SOLO SO LONG!,” provides a decent start to the back half. Although the albums most rigid entry, it nonetheless carries an attitude against a love unreciprocated. For an album that carries much of the burden on itself, it’s pleasing to get a more defiant perspective. Though the track feels too dependent on a quirky bounce and sarcastic demeanor, the song itself functions nicely in the album’s sequencing. Especially followed by the interlude, “book of mending,” which painfully wrestles with the blame and desperate for the fix.

Gave you my heart, gave you my love, but was it not enough

I wanted feelings, wanted reasons why you couldn’t be mine

Couldn’t be mine

This confused anger bleeds perfectly into the track “PUNCTURE WOUND,” which fights with the pain caused by a relationship in conflict. The knife fight of intimacy that knows you well enough to cut deeper, leaving mutual scars. The track comes in punchy and begs with its chorus. Exhausting in its heartbreak and carried by some truly energetic production, the song marks a shift into the introspective that focuses the latter part of the album.

“DAMAGE,” follows nicely with its dual features from ghostsocial and Ivory Rasmus in a track all about baggage. Gabu provides the space to let these artists swim in its chirpy beat. “your friend,” follows by slowing the album down for its penultimate breakup track. In an album fitting the pieces of a doomed relationship together, it’s the song that comes closest to resolution, if still incomplete. Wondering what was gained and what was lost in the melding of two partners, and what is left in the aftermath of such intense intimacy. It leaves you asking what gets changed, and what was unable to change.

Buried my teeth beneath the ground so i could love you safely

I’ll be your dog, i’m by your side, but tell me what there is for me

You don’t love me

But you know me

While this track would provide a great ending, Gabu saves the best for last in the track “goodbyeee.” This digitally ecstatic track is pop at its peak, with an earworm bridge and spinning chorus capping both the album and its whirlwind romance. “all these faces” comes together in a twinged song that should be at the club. A track to really wag your tail and flick your ears to.

For a pop field in tight competition, Gabu proves sonically to be in another ballpark altogether. With stellar production and expert lyric construction, “all these faces,” is a complete work. It runs the emotional gamut of love in all its forms. GABUISLOST has made something heart wrenching, dancey, and beautiful, standing as a high bar for what furry music can be. For an artist that has been putting in the work, it is lovely to see something so expertly crafted and endlessly listenable.

Highlights: goodbyeee, likeadrug, RUSH!, PUNCTURE WOUND

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