Genevieve Artadi - Dizzy Strange Summer (LP) - Clear Vinyl

Some records feel like secret notes passed in class. Genevieve Artadi’s Dizzy Strange Summer has that intimate, conspiratorial quality, but it also bursts into colour when it wants to show off. Released in July 2020 on Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder, it arrived right when many of us were stuck at home, and it felt like a window thrown open. Artadi is best known as one half of KNOWER with Louis Cole, the internet-savvy LA duo who can throw down odd metres and still make people dance. On her own, she leans into the tender, curious side of those instincts, twisting jazz harmony into earworm pop and making the tricky stuff feel playful rather than showy.

What makes Dizzy Strange Summer so charming is how personal the production feels. You can almost hear the room in the vocal stacks, the crisp snap of handclaps and the way synths chirp without cluttering the mix. The songs dart between ideas, but they never feel fussy. She’ll set up a nimble groove, then pivot to a hushed line that sounds like it was sung at the kitchen table at midnight. The album has that Brainfeeder sense of adventure, the same label that’s home to Thundercat and Kamasi Washington, but Artadi keeps the focus close to the heart. It is pop music that isn’t afraid of unusual chord changes, a rhythmic kick, or a sudden harmony bloom that makes you grin.

There is a strong sense of craft humming under the surface. Artadi’s background in jazz comes through in the voicings she favours and the way melodies slide across the barline, but the songs are built for people rather than theory heads. Hooks land quickly, then twist just enough to stay interesting on the fourth or fifth listen. Drums are tight and springy, bass lines bubble rather than thump, and small arrangement choices keep catching the ear. A flute phrase peeks out, a synth fizz drops in, a sudden stop makes the next chorus feel twice as big. It is animated, yet never overwrought.

Because it came out in the middle of 2020, Dizzy Strange Summer also carries a little bit of sun in its pocket. Even the melancholic moments don’t wallow. They turn gently toward hope, as if reminding you to keep going. Artadi’s voice is key to that feeling. It is light and clear, with an easy glide on top notes, and she layers harmonies in a way that feels like friends singing in the same room. If you’re familiar with KNOWER’s kinetic live videos, you’ll recognise the brainy energy here, but this album sits you down, refills your cup and lets the conversation wander.

It is also a sleeper of a great listen on wax. The mixes leave air around the instruments, so the stereo field opens up nicely when you spin the Dizzy Strange Summer vinyl. Those little percussive details pop and the low end is polite but warm, the kind of balance that rewards an afternoon on the turntable. If you’re hunting Genevieve Artadi vinyl, this one earns a spot next to your Brainfeeder favourites, and it is an easy recommendation when mates ask where to start with her solo work. I’ve seen copies move fast in my local Melbourne record store, and it makes sense. It scratches the same itch as label mates who flirt with jazz and beats, but it leans more into songwriter territory.

Part of the fun here is hearing someone blur scenes that often sit apart. LA’s beat culture, conservatory smarts, bedroom pop candour, a splash of quirky humour, they all tag in without crowding the frame. Artadi has talked over the years about valuing community and collaboration, and you can hear that attitude in the way these tunes feel welcoming. Even when the harmony gets chewy or the rhythm sidesteps the obvious, the songs pull you along with a smile.

If you collect across that Brainfeeder arc and you like records that reveal new bits with each play, go find Dizzy Strange Summer on vinyl. It is the kind of album that turns a quick crate dig into an afternoon spent flipping the jacket, reading the fine print and letting side B spin again. You can buy Genevieve Artadi records online easily enough, and if you’re building out a shelf of Genevieve Artadi albums on vinyl, this one is the keeper that explains why people fell for her in the first place. For those browsing vinyl records Australia wide, consider this a sunny, slightly eccentric friend arriving right on time.