Adrian Underhill doesn’t mince his words. His debut album, CU Again, is filled with smouldering electro-soul slow jams and plainspoken vulnerability, making it as inviting as an extended hand and as intimate as a secret whispered in your ear. The 10 songs on CU Again are the culmination of many years of sonic exploration. Having grown up in Vancouver before moving to Montreal and then Toronto, Underhill served time in indie rock bands and eventually went solo for a low-key EP in 2012. He then completely revamped his songwriting process, using keyboards and drum machines for the first time and gravitating towards a slinky sound, blending pop immediacy with tender R&B experimentation.

The sentiments on the album are empathetic, with words that are delivered with refreshing directness and simplicity. This reflects the urgency at the heart of CU Again: after so many years spent playing in bands and whittling away in his bedroom, Adrian Underhill is finally putting his name on an album. He won’t settle for anything less than unabashed lyrical honesty and pristine pop perfection.