In Exile is the second LP from Northern California pop artist L3ah Angel. It's a retrospective of her diverse interests and talents, as well as the entire spectrum of "bedroom music" as a phenomena. Turning on the interiority of poetry that elucidates travails of desire and identity, and arising from her alienation through diligent meditation and pragmatic self-acceptance, In Exile develops through polymorphous epiphanies to expel any sense of confinement. Allowing the compass of the heart to direct its pathfinding, the record finds its center in multiplicity, transforming before your senses through phases of dark acid house ("Water"), twinkly emo ("Run From Love"), subdued pop-folk ("A Cigarette"), moody R'nB ("Your Conscience"), tranquil chamber music ("All the Light"), and dazzling dream pop ("Ugly"). It's an exemplary record that not only guides you through a plethora of lovely moods and styles, but also showcases the power of commitment to one's passions and what can be accomplished with an entirely DIY setup (just a guitar, a laptop, and mic), that transmute one's bed chambers into a recording studio. Its versatility really speaks to me as someone who spent a lot of time in what little space you could claim for themselves (typically a bedroom in the house I was staying at), feeling guarded and trying to sort things out. In Exile demonstrates the fact, that even at our most withdrawn, we all have an incredible breadth of talent waiting to be unlocked and so much to offer the world.
