We Speak Music

Rob Lalain Unveils New Album ‘The Way We Were’

Published

2 months ago

March 25, 2026

Rob Lalain’s The Way We Were is framed as a document of return — not only to music, but to a self shaped decades earlier. The album draws heavily on the grammar of classic pop-rock songwriting, positioning itself within a lineage that includes The Beatles and Oasis, while largely avoiding contemporary reinterpretation.

The opening stretch, anchored by ‘Day Or Night’, foregrounds melody as its primary vehicle. Lalain’s instincts lean toward clarity rather than subversion; chord progressions resolve cleanly, and hooks are delivered with a deliberate familiarity. It’s effective, if occasionally predictable, relying on emotional directness over structural risk.

Where the record gains dimension is in its midsection. Songs written during the illness and loss of Lalain’s father — particularly ‘No More’ and ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ — introduce a quieter gravity. The arrangements pull back slightly, allowing the lyrical content to carry more weight, though the production remains polished throughout.

Lalain’s role as a multi-instrumentalist shapes the album’s cohesion. The instrumentation — from Epiphone and Martin guitars to piano and orchestral elements — is handled with consistency, reinforcing the project’s aesthetic but also limiting its dynamic range. The sound rarely deviates from its established palette.

By its conclusion, The Way We Were settles into a clear thesis: that sincerity, rather than reinvention, is its guiding principle. The closing sentiment, centred on belief in love, underscores the album’s emotional intent. For listeners attuned to its traditionalism, Lalain’s work offers a steady, if unvaried, reflection on memory and persistence.

We Speak Music

Mané’s ‘The Goddess in the Room’ Turns Self-Discovery Into Sonic World-Building

Published

5 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Philomena Marie

There is a remarkable sense of intention running through The Goddess in the Room, the latest project from Swiss artist Mané. Blending alternative electronic pop with ritualistic percussion and spiritual symbolism, the album presents itself as both a personal statement and a carefully constructed narrative. Across its nine tracks, Mané explores identity, healing, queerness, and empowerment with impressive clarity of vision.

The opening track, “The GODDESS in the Room,” functions as both invitation and thesis statement. It introduces listeners to a world where intuition and self-trust become guiding principles, while establishing the atmospheric production style that shapes much of the record. The song’s spacious arrangement creates room for reflection, a quality that becomes one of the album’s defining characteristics.

That introspection deepens on “perles de sang” and “sappho.” The former grapples with inherited pain and bodily experience, while the latter offers a moving celebration of queer identity. Throughout these songs, Mané avoids reducing complex themes to slogans, instead allowing emotional nuance to emerge through carefully crafted songwriting and evocative imagery.

Musically, the album reaches some of its most intriguing moments on “)O(” and “moonstones.” Both tracks highlight Mané’s growing confidence as a sonic architect, blending electronic textures with organic rhythmic elements inspired by shamanic practice. The resulting sound feels immersive and transportive without losing its emotional immediacy.

Meanwhile, “j’serai tjr là” and “chocolate con sangre” provide some of the record’s most vulnerable moments. Here, Mané strips back some of the conceptual grandeur to focus on connection, memory, and emotional endurance. These songs reveal an artist equally capable of intimate storytelling and ambitious world-building.

The penultimate track, “Witches,” injects a surge of collective energy into the album’s narrative. Drawing on themes of resistance and feminine power, it stands as one of the project’s most direct statements while retaining its atmospheric sophistication. It is both politically resonant and emotionally charged.

By the time “ALIGNED” closes the record, the journey feels complete. Not because all questions have been answered, but because the search itself has become meaningful. The Goddess in the Room succeeds through its commitment to authenticity and vision, establishing Mané as an artist unafraid to follow her own path, wherever it may lead.

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