Banks Discovers New Shades of Heartache on ‘The Altar’

Aryeh Harris-Shapiro

If “The Altar’s” lyrics are any indication, Banks has been through some emotional times since her 2014 debut “Goddess.” The artist has said as much in interviews, although her famously private temperament and vague storytelling make it difficult to pull apart the details. The absence of the singer’s previous manager, DJ Yung Skeeter, who executively produced Banks’ breakthrough debut “Goddess,” is certainly a topic that is visited throughout the album.

“To the Hilt,” though not the most musically memorable single off the 13-track effort, delivers lyrics much more specific and revealing than Banks’s usual offerings. “Hated you for leaving me/You were my muse for so long/Now I’m drained creatively/And I miss you on my team,” she sings, inviting the listener to pose the question of whether or not the song is an ode of sorts to Skeeter. While her fans may never know the specifics of Banks’s tragedies, “The Altar” plays as a breakup album of one kind or another.

“Gemini Feed,” the first track of the sophomore LP, opens with Banks performing the song’s chorus over spare piano notes. The recording is a conspicuously unproduced introduction to a singer who specializes in the same emotionally distant electro-R&B popularized by artists like James Blake and The Weeknd. Banks, for the most part, colors within those lines, but “The Altar” is tinged with real regret and pain that, at its best, pushes the album out of its comfort zone towards something surprisingly raw and potent.

Oddly enough, Banks succeeds most when that sadness is colored by another emotional or musical idea. “Fuck with Myself” follows up “Gemini Feed” with a slithering, half-whispered anthem to masochism and defiant self-love. That gives way to “Lovesick,” a sexy, sweaty come-on and “Mind Games,” a big belty ballad that plays as its pained counterpart, highlighting the loneliness and desperation that run underneath the album. Even failed experiments like sing-rap hybrid “Trainwreck” play to unique parts of Banks’s emotional range.

The middle of the album drags slightly as the singer falls back too hard on the most basic version of her icy aesthetic. Clean synth textures and reverb smooth her voice out and drain the song of emotion. Tracks like “This is Not About Us,” “Weaker Girl” and “Judas” also feel distinctly like filler, with repetitive choruses and nondescript production causing these songs to blur together and not really make an impression.

Fortunately, “The Altar” finds its second wind as it nears conclusion. On “Mother Nature,” the acoustic guitar and string section highlight textures in her voice which producer Sohn’s synths tend to sand away. “If you fall, fall on me” she begs in the refrain, showcasing the potential power of simple lyrics. “Poltergeist” turns a chopped-up vocal sample into a haunting evocation of the water imagery that reaches back to the lead single off “Goddess.” Both “Haunt” and “27 Hours” inject some muscle into the production, respectively using churning electric guitars and a blaring horn section to give this pensive, moody album a genuinely urgent climax.

“The Altar” isn’t as consistent or well-crafted as “Goddess,” but it’s more focused and intense. The unintended consequence is that the songs blend together, but even with the filler, the album contains several great songs and a handful of good ones leaving us wanting more. 

“The Altar” is available Sept. 30 on Apple Music