- Industrial-inflected R&B with hefty production and seductive hooks.
- "I hope this body of work inspires comfort, discomfort, pain and a conscious decision to choose pleasure," says Mia Carucci of debut album Deities In Stone. The self-taught producer and singer-songwriter does just that, confronting themes of desire, shame, femininity, divinity and morality across the ten-track LP. On previous releases—a handful of singles and a 2021 EP, As Above So Below, later remixed by the likes of TAYHANA, Bapari and BAE BAE—Carucci has experimented with lilting, organic percussion, trance and deep house while exploring Afro-Indigenism and similar themes of spirituality. Here, the atmosphere is duskier, embracing darkwave, trip-hop, craggy percussion, ghostly synths, staticky riffs and unpredictable jungle breakdowns, all probing ego death and spiritual awakening. Mia's voice sucks the listener in like a riptide, swirling from layered heady whispers and howls to a mesmerizing vibrato that brings to mind a mythological siren.
True to its namesake, Deities In Stone is peppered with religious allusions. Carucci uses them in service of cultivating a self-love akin to the unconditional acceptance and forgiveness that many seek from higher powers, rather than promoting conversion or obeisance. Opening track "Slip Of The Tongue" establishes the poised self regard that emanates from the album—"My love's a serpent bite to the neck / (I strike hard) / Bitten lover better show some respect." This refusal to dim one's belief in self or romantic love is a refreshing, recurring motif. In "The God in You," they croon, "let the God in you see the God in me," before a bubbling bassline swells to a breakbeat whirlpool on yearning darkwave ballad "You Chose Me," where Carucci assures their uncertainties with, "And still you chose me." "No Greater Sin" rebukes unwarranted blame and undue pain so often connected to pursuits of pleasure.
The album's 32-minute runtime feels much longer thanks to Carucci's hypnotic production, with support from Philadelphia producer Estoc and guitar by Nathan Palma of Los Angeles band juggler. The vocals often blend in with the music, like on "Sybele's Plea," where they move from the forefront to becoming barely distinguishable from Palma's guitar. There's a pronounced, long reverb that slinks through the album, rearing its head most clearly on "Surrender," which captures the nostalgic feeling of something that'd play from the jukebox (Fluffy McCloud's to be exact, if you're an Angeleno). The stratified arrangement on trip-hop ballad "Crush" calls to mind FKA twigs' LP1. At a moment's notice, simmering basslines burst into enrapturing breakdowns on "The God in You" and "Pulse," recalling the emotional release of a good cry.
Mia Carucci ends on a high note, literally and figuratively, with "Prayer Layer (outro)." Backed by a rich choral arrangement, their filtered voice extends gratitude to their creator, love to their community and understanding of themselves before soaring off to an airy jungle crescendo that ends with bird calls. "I untether myself from all the interactions of the day that do not serve me or my higher purpose / I release all negativity / All hurt, all pain, all anger that may have come up in this day / I release it / It is not mine." These dignified lyrics hone in on Carucci's dedication to know and love themselves unabashedly and, in turn, their creator. "All of the energy that I spent today / All of myself that I have given outward / I call it back to me," they sing.
At its core, Deities In Stone is a concept album about healing, fitting for moonlit musings and twilight excursions to clear one's head. Since their earliest releases, Carucci's lyrics ruminating on spiritual enlightenment have become a palpable cornerstone of their artistry. Undoubtedly, previous forays towards a more gothic sound in early singles like "Chimera" and "La Loba" were foundational for the production here. "I make music with the intention to heal open wounds," they said on Instagram. With that as the metric, their debut album is successful, serving as an emotional catharsis for anyone brave enough to explore the raw, subterranean aspects of self.