Rhye aren’t a band with a straightforward origin story. Their debut 2013 album Woman was years in the making and was released with the identities of its creators unknown. Only later were they revealed to be Canadian singer and performer Mike Milosh and Dutch multi-instrumentalist Robin Hannibal. From these secretive beginnings, the band have evolved into a freeform musical collective revolving around Milosh following the departure of Hannibal in 2017.

Blood, the followup to Woman, was released in 2018, and despite the group’s new status as the creative force of Milosh, the feel of Rhye’s output hadn’t changed. Soulful, funky, often minimalist sounds with glorious high-reaching vocals remained very much the outfit’s calling card. 2019’s Spirit deviated somewhat, with an experimental feel and losing some of the commercial accessibility of their previous works, but it was still a deeply interesting offering.

So what does Milosh have lined up for us with Rhye’s latest and fourth studio album Home? Well, true to form the album opens with something a little bit different, the intro is a 90-second harmony performed by the Danish National Girls’ Choir. Come In Closer has a smooth bassline and handclaps to propel it along, while Beautiful shimmers with its sultry vocals and haunting feel.

Sandwiched in the middle of Home, the singles Helpless and Black Rain raise the stakes, particularly the latter, with its slick disco feel, while Sweetest Revenge features some superb orchestral flourishes. There are possibly the highlights of the album, evocative of Rhye’s earlier work but with the feeling that Milosh is elevating things here.

Writing on Rhye’s official Facebook page, Milosh talked about the process behind creating the new album “Home is here. I began making this album in a pre-covid world, but the time spent in lockdown really caused me to solidify what Home means to me. It's ultimately a place to be creative, and I've tried to funnel all of that creativity into making this album. I hope you enjoy it.”

Home tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Come In Closer

3. Beautiful

4. Safeword

5. Hold You Down

6. Need A Lover

7. Helpless

8. Black Rain

9. Sweetest Revenge

10. My Heart Bleeds

11. Fire

12. Holy

13. Outro

Watch the official video for Come In Closer here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.