Chloe Navarre – Periwinkle

Chloe Navarre – Periwinkle – Album Review

The album starts with an audible equivalent of that like…seeing something beautiful on the horizon or up in the night sky…a distant light, far away, floating and dancing around for your amusement at a time where only you alone can see it, and for just a moment, it feels like the universe is speaking directly to you.  I really enjoyed Chloe Navarre’s “Periwinkle” as an opener, because this could honestly go a whole bunch of ways from where it starts, which is certainly cool, but I also love the fact that the melody at the very core of this glowing digitalized warmth we find as the album begins feels…well…special.  Magical.  Humble and sweet, “Periwinkle” is the sound of our own curiosity echoing back to us in fractal shapes of audible enjoyment…it’s laidback and mellow, yet still hinting at a highly adventurous journey to follow.

And so here we are – take this voyage and tab on up so that you can see all the colors of the music in real time – you can thank me later for the advice.  I knew right from the drop of “Periwinkle” that I’d more than likely love what Chloe creates, and lo & behold, with a sound that’s so very close to what you’d find Styrofoam pioneered, you better believe by the time I got to “Best Left Unsaid” I was pretty sure I was right & hearing all the confirmation I needed.  From his cosmic melodies, to the heartfelt sincerity in his lyricism, to the brilliant Alt/Indie bend that the music has within its mix of endearing & entertaining Electro-based aspects – I’m all about it.  “Best Left Unsaid” introduces a vibrant, 3D type of sound that springs from your speakers with impressive flexibility, and also reveals the vocals of Navarre for the first time on the album as well, which are more than welcome.  Don’t get me wrong, based on what I heard in the opening track I’d have happily sat and listened to a whole album of instrumentals from this dude, but in hearing how well the vocals suited his music on “Best Left Unsaid” to follow, you’re not going to find me complaining if this guy wants to sing.  The energy is perfect, and the unique palette of the music is even better – “Best Left Unsaid” is the definition of how to generate interest.

C’mon y’all…if you’re not feeling “Petrolized” you are DEAD INSIDE.  I mean it – you’re a corpse – start digging up some dirt and go have yourself a permanent nap.  That opening beat…the way that Chloe entices you into listening to “Petrolized” is absolutely irresistible, and that’s facts.  He’ll have plenty for ya to check out and keep your mind busy along the way…think of this track like a sightseeing tour, but for your ears instead.  So you’ll navigate through Navarre’s realm of sound, turning your head to listen to this shiny element or that neon vibe…and you’ll have a big ol’ grin on your mug the entire time from the start to finish.  Especially if you like BIG sound and ideas that are unafraid to push the boundaries of what you think you know about music – Navarre’s here to challenge convention and create something new…and I’m loving it.  Listen to the brilliance in spots like around the 1:30 mark as “Petrolized” makes a significant shift in sound…or later on down the road when you get to the 2:30 mark a minute further – this guy knows exactly how to make music that’ll move you.  That’s not me trying to tell you it’s all easy to love and straightforward – no…for some of you, a song like “Petrolized” will be SO NEW to your ears that it’ll be a challenging ride…but I like to think if you’re a regular reader on these pages of ours that something like Chloe Navarre is exactly what you’re looking for, just like I am.  There’s so much here that is fully worthy of your attention in my opinion, that it’ll leave your head spinning.  Like I was saying before about the audible sightseeing tour you’re about to embark on – your ears won’t know where to look, but each and every sound they stumble across reveals another fascinating dimension to listen to.

I have a great affinity for the digital warriors out there breaking new ground.  You’ll listen to a song like “CundishunLouvre” and come to the obvious conclusion that Chloe Navarre is clearly a musical madman – and long may he run!  From the spectacular bursts of saxophone sound in the mix, to the bendy electro elements swirling around it, to the pound of synth declaring the music is going to move in a different direction by pure force, to the cleverness of the digital percussion and Spoken Word floating in the background.  “Sir, it appears the signal is coming from within your own body” says a voice in the ether…Chloe’s music is a trip, no doubt about it.  This is the joy of creation and making your own damn rules, all in one.  Navarre’s fully embraced the random, and that’s largely paying off for him in terms of creating a set-list of songs that can’t help but grab your attention for all the right reasons.  You’ll find a wealth of hooks, but they all rip by so quickly before you’re onto the next…that’s kinda how you can tell how deep the well of creativity is that Chloe’s drawing from.  Most other artists & bands out there would have split a track like “CundishunLouvre” into twenty different cuts or more to exploit or explore each hook you’ll hear, and make entire songs outta each one.  Not Chloe though.  This dude makes music like he’s never going to run out of ideas, and as such, threads a metric ton of’em into each song.

Man.  You want “Solid Proof” that you should be listening to Chloe Navarre?  This track will do it.  “Solid Proof” is freakin’ remarkable…it’s like…what would happen if you could somehow merge Marc Rebillet with St. Vincent…it’s that different, yet that addictive.  As I’ve said many times here on these pages of ours I’m sure, the more unique something is to the ears of the masses, the more they tend to resist – usually.  There are SOME exceptions…and Navarre is definitely one of them.  He’s found this uncanny way to make his experimental music so much damn fun that ain’t no one out there turning this off or turning this down…you put on a song like “Solid Proof” and the volume knob only goes one way – UP.  Not an ounce of this song is willing to sit still, and that’s one of the best compliments I can give it.  The way things break open around the 1:20 mark is an indication of a real musical mind behind it all – this dude LIKES to make things wonderfully strange and unique, but any time he wants to give you a chance to catch up, he’ll bust out a hook like that, or the one you’ll hear at around 2:35, and it’s GOOD GAME y’all.  There are so many mini-highlights in what Navarre creates, that he’s ensured each time you come back to have another listen, you’ll find something new you hadn’t noticed before…and that could very well theoretically last forever when it comes to what you’ll hear on Periwinkle.  It’s built for longevity.

So let’s be clear here…the real bottom line is that you’re going to be able to find something in just about every track that’s well worth the price of admission.  In terms of what I guess you could argue is a more straightforward or cohesive vibe (at least by comparison), “Analemma” possesses what is probably a more universal sound overall, even though it’s a mellower tune.  I’ll put it to ya this way – the closest comparison you’ll get to a track like “Analemma” is Lemon Jelly – and in the history of my years on this planet, every person I’ve played KY for since it first came out way back when, immediately slides that right into the soundtrack of their own daily life.  I’ve tested the theory way more than you might think, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a dedicated Metal head or an Electro aficionado…so trust me when I tell ya, people are going to LOVE “Analemma” and it’ll likely be one of the tracks that holds up even longer than the rest do years and years down the road.  It just is fundamentally more accessible to the average everyday listener, but what makes it marvelous, is that Chloe didn’t have to compromise to make it this way…it still very much sounds like a Navarre song when you consider all the details sprinkled into the sound floating outta your speakers, it’s just a bit more spread out.  If it’s not Lemon Jelly that you’d compare this to (it should be), then it’s like…Dope Lemon-meets-Prefuse 73-meets Boards Of Canada.

It’s honestly damn near comical how much this record will get a grip on you.  As I listened to “Impressions Of Jen,” for a moment, I was like, FINALLY – I think I might be able to resist this one!  And then it was like, nope, I was wrong, and felt ashamed for doubting Chloe for a hot minute there.  Look – Experiemental music always is what it is…it’s a smorgasbord of sound, a complete collage of chaos, and a genre that has no problem fluctuating between what you like, love, and other stuff you might not even connect with at all.  So no – I’m not here to tell you that you’re going to love every single song from top to bottom if you’re listening with a scrutinous ear…Chloe’s added everything AND the kitchen sink to the songs of Periwinkle, so of course you’ll find a moment or two along the way that you’ll question a bit.  But it ain’t about how we stumble, right?  It’s about how we pick ourselves up and carry on.  It ain’t about the missed shots you take, it’s about hustling for the rebound dammit!  This is an area where Navarre excels far beyond his peers…he might drift a bit too far into the random for some at times, but his ability to course-correct is like, pretty much second to none.  In addition to that, I think you just gotta go with things sometimes, and allow your ears the opportunity to open up & adjust to what’s goin’ on.  You’ll listen to something like “Impressions Of Jen” start up and think that Chloe has lost his ever-lovin’ mind for a moment…and then all of a sudden you’re in the thick of a groove so freakin’ PHAT you never want it to end.  The saxophone additions are wildly addictive moments on this record, and you’ll find none finer than what you’ll hear on “Impressions Of Jen.”  Somebody call Moon Hooch or TOO MANY ZOOZ so we can arrange a cosmic meeting of the minds & get a new kickass collaboration going!  I’ve got “Impressions Of Jen” up there at the top of the list for songs that’ll grow on you quicker than you think.

Prince, is that you?  “Doubt Of The Benefit” definitely could have passed for one of the Purple One’s 80s cuts…or at least, gotten close…let’s be real here, the man had ridiculously high standards.  Okay…so…I’m going to go with…hmm…I think “Doubt Of The Benefit” has the benefit of that 80s synthetic bounce to it, I think the hi-hat crashes are up too high in the mix, and I feel like the ideas at the core of this song are a bit thinner than the majority of the material you’ll find on Periwinkle.  I guess that’s the three things that stand out the most to me.  I like the Spoken Word in this cut – I love the fact that Navarre is clearly having some lighthearted fun here…and I think we all walk a dangerous line of taking this particular cut a little too seriously if we’re not careful.  Ultimately, I think there’s really just less to work with here in the music…”Doubt Of The Benefit” mainly taps into one aspect of its grooves and hooks and doesn’t do a whole lot to deviate from that, instead opting for additional elements in the background swirling around & colliding into each other in a kaleidoscopic fashion.  I don’t mind it…heck…on a good day throughout this past week or so in listening to this album, it’s always kept me in a good mood too – but I can still acknowledge that this cut has a little bit less to offer ya than the rest of the lineup does.

Or maybe, we’re just at a crucial juncture for the record, where Navarre simply hasn’t been afraid to get even more weird with it than how it all started…which is…certainly sayin’ something, ain’t it?  Much like how I first experienced “Impressions Of Jen,” when “DeadCloud” started, I think I might have even said WTF out loud as things got going…all based on the roots of confusion that acronym conveys.  For about forty-five seconds or so, I wasn’t sure if Chloe would be able to pull out a win here – and as the song shifted to its next dimensions, I’d say that I probably enjoyed it more than I thought I would, even if I’d still be inclined to feeling like “DeadCloud” doesn’t quite measure up to most of the material on this record.  I ain’t saying I’d turn it off, because music like this completely appeals to me, and there are some really kickass moves on display in the finale of this track too…but yeah…for the random people passing by or those that stick to the safety of the mainstream…this is likely a bit too far out in left field.  It has a real quality hook in this cut…the chorus, I guess, if you can call it that…you’ll know what I mean when you hear it…it’s a vocal melody…and it lands…but I have to wonder if Navarre got the maximum value out of it in this particular context.  It’s hard for it to stand out with all that’s going on around it.

This dude is capable of wild & wonderful things…and I promise ya, he’ll surprise you.  “Mañana Boi” is a stellar example of a track that you’ll likely enjoy more than you might have assumed you would at first, and it’s another highlight for Navarre’s vocals in my opinion.  I dunno…I really appreciate the warped way that Chloe approaches the art of making music, and I feel like the diverse range of sounds he uses has really been remarkably enticing to listen to throughout the distance of Periwinkle.  He does really well when he wants to smooth things out a bit…tracks like “Analemma” and “Mañana Boi” will go a long way for the masses when it comes to helping them find their gateway in.  Like it or not, these can be crucial steps in the growth of listening ears…you introduce them to songs like “Mañana Boi” or “Analemma,” and all of a sudden, they’re on the inside of the fringe, where some of the more wilder ideas will now stand a chance of being heard by those very same ears.  Of course, if you’re a well-seasoned veteran of the strange like myself, you’ll probably have no problem finding your way into the whole universe of sound that Chloe Navarre is creating…I’m massively impressed by this whole album.  Songs like “Mañana Boi” show a smart degree of softness to the melody and songwriting that allows for the whole structure to blossom, which it absolutely does within the glorious finale you’ll find on this cut.  I suppose it’s arguably more of a linear idea that people can hang with…I guess that’s what I’m saying – but hell, I’m not immune from enjoying tracks written more along those lines either…and I ended up completely loving “Mañana Boi.”  The production, the performance, the radiant color in the background details, the dreamy melody at the core of it all…this is some genuinely brilliant stuff from Navarre here.

We are SO “LE Back.”  Cross that off the bingo card for things I thought I’d never say in 2025.  Look – I’ve got an Aphex Twin tattoo on my arm for a reason – I love innovative digital creations, and the wilder they come, the happier I can often tend to be.  Listening to “LE Back” was freakin’ awesome!  How could anyone not enjoy this?  If you’re the type of person like me, that enjoys a ton of sound and different things happening all on the inside of one song, then heck yeah, turn up for “LE Back” yo!  Some of the most remarkable digital solo moments occur in this cut, but you’ll also find some of the more ambitious transitions as well, because Chloe seamlessly navigates between the weird and the wonderful with ease.  So you can truly go from some of the more challenging digitalized edits and real work being put into the sound, straight into some of the most easily accessible moments right afterwards…it’s a combination of ideas that is by no means easy to put together, yet here we are, and Navarre has planted his flag firmly upon this galaxy of otherworldly concepts.  We’re not talking anything that’s so extreme on the Aphex-side of the spectrum, but you will hear similar moves and techniques that prove songs like “LE Back” and what Chloe is doing makes him a not-so-distant cousin.  Fret not if the comparison makes you worried – the overall accessibility and full brightness in this vibe is very much a part of Navarre’s own authenticity.

“Twilight Toke” is a great way to finish off what has been a highly memorable experience.  It’s actually the second track that I ended up listening to originally.  I put on “Periwinkle” at first, then immediately got cracking into finding out everything I could about Chloe Navarre.  The extraneous information is sparse to say the least…and we don’t really know what is fact or fiction…but you can find details like how Chloe is apparently a fingerstyle guitarist for example.  You’ll hear that element in most tunes, but I’d be hard pressed to say that it ever played the starring role in many of these digitalized tracks – so I’m guessing his fingerstyle works just as well on the studio boards and production tools out there.  What else did I learn?  There were a couple singles called “Cameo” and “Sugarcane” put out back in 2022, and the guy is based outta Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Oh – and that Periwinkle is due to come out a few days from now, on July 11^th – I should probably let you know that!  You’ll wanna circle the date and make some time for this one – Periwinkle is a great album for the summer this year.  “Twilight Toke” has even been featured on The Uncharted Zone with its own proudly wacky video to support it…like I’ve been tellin’ ya…you wanna go with the flow here…we always take music seriously in reviewing and examining its DNA and all that stuff here on the pages…but believe me when I tell ya, the idea is to have FUN when you’re listening to the music of Chloe Navarre…and he’s made it incredibly easy for you to do exactly that throughout the course of Periwinkle.  Definitely one of the most creative albums I’ve heard in 2025

Find music by Chloe Navarre at Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/7feUvpe2KahvlLplYirabe

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