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Reviews

Caithlin de Marrais, ‘Red Coats’ (End Up)

On her solo debut, Caithlin de Marrais’ distinguishing characteristic isn’t that she was the frontwoman for emo vets Rainer Maria, but that she was the bassist. These are slight, spacious tracks, and the chattering drum loops and weightless strings could just wander away without the muted low-end muscle, like electrons lacking a nucleus. This isn’t the most effective way to write songs, but sounds that’d be crushed in a busier mix — a crawl of brittle guitar on “Birds,” a shivering synth on “City Girl,” de Marrais’ shyly pretty voice — are given a chance to gleam, as they cluster shyly around her more forceful, composed bass lines.