Vagabon's New Outlook

Incorporating dance-pop electronics and into her sound, the acclaimed musician returns with her most upbeat work Sorry I Haven't Called

- DAVID CHIU

SORRY I HAVEN'T CALLED, THE new album by the indie multi-instrumentalist and producer Laetitia Tamko, who goes by the moniker of Vagabon, is a confident and joyous work; its sleek and upbeat sound could naturally fit in with the R&B/electronic/dance-pop music made by contemporaries like Beyoncé. Ironically, though, Vagabon's latest record was born of grief, particularly over the 2021 death of collaborator Eric Littman, to whom it is dedicated.

"Eric was a dear friend of mine and we made "Water Me Down" [a track from her 2019 self-titled album] together," Tamko says. "Losing someone so integral to my musical life was a shock to the system."

Due out September 15 on Nonesuch Records, Sorry I Haven't Called represents Vagabon's musical progression from the introspective guitar-dominated rock/bedroom pop of her 2017 debut album Infinite Worlds. Her first new record in four years, Sorry I Haven't Called is danceable and electronic driven while its lyrics are conversational ("Lexicon," "You Know How," "Made Out With Your Best Friend"), although there are some reflective moments, too ("Passing Me By," "Autobahn").

Tamko says, "I wanted to build on some themes that I flirted with, like my house music-inspired production on "Water Me Down" [from the album Vagabon] and go a bit deeper into dance and not fully because narrative is still really important to me. I love writing. I love words. I love painting a world that way, too. So it was about combining these worlds this euphoria that you feel in a dark club and combining that with really conversational storytelling."