The della kit has spent enough time around music to know that being a singer and being a producer are not necessarily the same thing. On her latest record, Dreams Speaking in Colour, she makes a case for being both.
Released August 21, the album is the Vancouver/ New York-based artist’s second full-length record, following 2022’s moonbeams + frequencies. This time, the della kit takes on most of the production herself, and that decision shapes the album as much as any particular genre or influence.
The songs have a loose, lived-in quality, with dusty hip-hop drums sitting alongside Rhodes, jazz touches, live instrumentation, layered vocals and field recordings. Nothing is pushed too far forward and the lush arrangements have room to breathe.
Her vocal delivery is particularly well used. Rather than treating it simply as the focal point of every track, she folds harmonies into the production and lets them become part of the rhythm and atmosphere. There are echoes of ’70s soul, alternative R&B and the beat-making traditions of hip-hop, but the record doesn’t feel like an exercise in tracing those influences back to their sources.
The writing is just as interested in what happens after the obvious breakthrough. Where the relationships end, old versions of yourself stop fitting, and friendships become more important. There is room for spirituality, uncertainty and the quieter work of figuring out what comes next. Tracks including “Falling Stars,” “Goodness” and “Real Time” sit comfortably within that world without sounding like variations on the same idea.
“This is the first record where I truly felt the freedom to be myself,” the della kit says, and it makes more sense once you hear how much of the album she has chosen to build herself.
“I want this record to celebrate love, friendship, connection, liberation, and self-belief, while also making space for the scarier and more vulnerable parts of becoming yourself. And especially for femmes and queer artists, I hope it inspires you to trust your own voice, produce your own music, tell your own story, and take up space without waiting for someone else to give you permission.”
Her history runs through live performance, DJ culture, production and collaborations, including work with Junia-T, Chris Sholar and Madison McFerrin. She started singing at raves in British Columbia at 16 and went on to perform alongside artists including Questlove, DJ Shadow and Lil’ Kim.
On Dreams Speaking in Colour, those experiences don’t need to be spelled out. They are there in the beats, the restraint and the willingness to let a song take an unexpected turn. The album sounds best when the della kit stops trying to fit everything together and simply follows where the music takes her.
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