DVWEZ (pronounced Dames) is Orlando-based singer-songwriter/producer Delia Albert. Pastels is her first collection of songs, but it has a comfort and confidence that eludes other artists that attempt to meld varying genres and tastes. Similar to Jhené Aiko or the Internet’s Syd The Kyd, she deceptively fuses a delicate delivery and potent lyrics with electro R&B soundscapes and dreamily situates it all in the clouds. What gives Albert her own flavor is her versatility and deft command of timing. She can instill a mood just as easily as implant a thought or elicit a feeling in her listener. She knows just when and how to give her lyrics room to reverberate and register (like on “Tease”), or subdue them with heavy synths, booming 808s, grumbling low-end, and airy sweeps (on “Get Away”). Her introspection varies: It can be lovelorn, intensely inward, or more general truths derived from questioning received wisdom. It will be tough to figure what you want to do at any given moment — groove, think, sing-along, be uplifted, dwell in the hurt — but DVWEZ will guide you. Stream the whole pretty, ugly, real, hopeful, cynical, sultry thing below.

A quote from Albert about the project:

PASTELS is me opening up about what I would consider to be the most authentic connection that I’ve felt with someone. It’s vulnerable both emotionally, as well as musically because this is my first solo project. Some of it is sexy, and other parts are not, but all of it is me just saying exactly how I feel.