Tripla＜Coke Bottle Green Vinyl＞

Miki Berenyi wont let anything stand in the way of making music. The end of Lushs reunion in 2016 was actually a rebirth, sparking the next phase of her career with Piroshka and the Miki Berenyi Trio. When the former group went on hiatus due to her bandmates other commitments, Berenyi and her partner Kevin "Moose" McKillop persevered, bringing in multi-instrumentalist Oliver Cherer. The Miki Berenyi Trios debut album, Tripla (the word for "triple" in Hungarian, the native language of Berenyis late father), introduces a project thats as collaborative as it is personal. As the title suggests, Tripla gathers three songs each from Berenyi, McKillop, and Cherer. Though the trios egalitarian approach echoes the spirit of Piroshka, here it feels even more intimate. Around the time that the trio was getting off the ground, Berenyi published her acclaimed 2022 memoir Fingers Crossed, and some of that books confessional feel echoes in Triplas songs. Inspired by a menopause-induced bout with depression, "Vertigo"s churning trip-hop and poetically precise lyrics ("My head is dread/My heart is doubt") offer elegant proof that midlife concerns are just as ripe for songwriting as twentysomething lust and heartbreak. The McKillop-penned "A Different Girl" is another bittersweet highlight; hearing Berenyi give voice to his hopes for their daughter Stella adds extra poignancy to its passing of the torch. Tripla unites the trios different lyrical perspectives not just with Berenyis vocals, but with some of the best music of her career. More so than on Piroshkas albums, the Miki Berenyi Trio celebrates her dream pop legacy and breathes new life into it. Nowhere is this more apparent than on "Kinch" ("treasure" in Hungarian), another Berenyi gem that honors her father, Lush drummer Chris Acland, and others dearly departed with a glorious fusion of 60s pop drama with symphonic and electronic touches. Throughout Tripla, these electronics -- born partly from necessity when Piroshka drummer Justin Welch wasnt available -- give the album a sleek, moody sophistication that nods to the late 80s and early 90s, when dance music, along with shoegaze and dream pop, was at a creative peak. The percolating beat and synths of the politically charged lament "8th Deadly Sin" evoke 808 State, though the glimmering guitars are Berenyi and McKillops through and through. On Cherers "Big I Am," Berenyi skewers "masculine hypocrisy" with the same honesty she brought to "Ladykillers" decades ago, this time over sounds that echo disco and rave. Berenyi has been an expert at pairing delicate sonics and pointed lyrics since her Lush days, but Triplas experimentation and revealing songwriting make it a compelling highlight within her body of work -- and a testament to her drive to keep creating, no matter what. ~ Heather Phares