Keeble – “Totemic”

Keeble’s debut Totemic is a 10-track record that doesn’t ease you in. It drops you straight into dystopian disco and psych-pop and expects you to keep up. That’s a bold call for a first album and it mostly works.

The album is structured around personal totems, symbols of being trapped, letting go, fighting back, going still. That framing could easily tip into self-seriousness but Keeble keeps it grounded, and “Planes” has real forward momentum, “Caged” pulls the walls in tight, “Bruiser” does exactly what the name says, and “Wilderness” opens everything back out with a big disco pulse that’s probably the most fun the record gets. To be honest, it’s best relesaee I’ve heard today.

The track I keep coming back to is “Return to Centre”. It sits at the emotional core of the album, 808 beat, wistful piano, and vocals that actually sound unguarded. That combination is harder to pull off than it sounds, Keeble pulls it off.

Across all ten tracks there’s a real push and pull between stillness and chaos. The album doesn’t lose the plot midway through, which a lot of debut records do. Someone had something specific to say here and figured out how to say it.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect a debut this confident. It’s got a genuine point of view and the production backs it up without being showy about it. Check out Keeble’s earlier releases if you want context for how this sound came together. And follow Keeble to keep up with new music coming out later this year.