This second LP from Kelela has been hotly anticipated for several years now. Drawing on five years of tumult and a reassessment and renewed centring as a Black, Queer woman, Kelela treats us to an even more emotionally compelling listen than her debut. Opening on ambient waves and emotive vocals on ‘Washed Away’, we then descend into a propulsive two-step beat on the not-quite-dancefloor cut ‘Happy Ending’ where Kelela’s vocal hints at the crossroads between R&B, soulful House and Pop. While the ballads drip with emotion, the more beat-driven tracks are where ‘Raven’ really excels. Propulsive yet languorous and weighty, tracks like ‘Bruises’ with its solid House kick, and ‘Missed Call’ with its looping guitar riff that mirrors the tension in the lyrics recounting the first flush of attraction, are each standout. Yet the highlight is the barely-there beat and slow vocal build of ‘Sorbet’; a true Ambient journey that channels Kelela’s Warp Records peers and is one of the best tracks of her career to date.