Although Caroline Polachek’s latest record is technically her sophomore album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You feels more like a magnum opus, a triumph among the finest she’s released during her extensive career. Critics agree; with a Metacritic score of 95 (denoting near universal acclaim) and an 8.7 from esteemed music publication Pitchfork, Polachek has emerged as one of the most lauded artists in recent memory. However, as biased as I may be, I honestly think this is underselling the sheer gloriousness of this record. I will describe why I believe such with the following breakdowns of the album’s tracks. 

“Welcome To My Island”: A very strong album opener and one of the more accessible songs off the record. I LIVE for that half-yodel, half-siren call thing Caroline does, and the songwriting here is incredible. 10+/10.

“Pretty In Possible”: This song is almost deconstructed in a sense, and it works entirely to its benefit. 10+/10.

“Bunny Is A Rider”: This song was one of the first I ever heard from Caroline, and as such, it has become very sentimentalized to me (It was released during the summer of 2021, so I’ve been listening to it for a while). Nonetheless, this is still an amazing song. 10+/10.

“Sunset”: The transition from “Bunny Is A Rider” into this is arguably the most jarring from an almost impeccably cohesive album; that being said, I still love the vibes of “Sunset.”  9.5/10.

“Crude Drawing Of An Angel”: This song is my personal favorite of the album. Everything about it is just immaculate, whether it be the bass, the vocals, the lyrics… This truly is one of the album’s zeniths. 10+/10.

“I Believe”: You’d think a dance-pop song wouldn’t fit with the rest of this album’s vibes, but it really does. Solid 9/10.

“Fly To You (feat. Grimes and Dido)”: The features work really well here, but overall, the song’s greatest strengths come from its simplicity. 9/10.

 “Blood and Butter”: I love everything about this song, but especially the bagpipes. There’s just something about this song, something unexplainable. 10+/10.

“Hopedrunk Everasking”: This song is easily one of the best songs from the album, and is just behind “Crude Drawing Of An Angel” in terms of my own personal ranking. It feels strangely familiar, like a comforting embrace. 10+/10.

“Butterfly Net”: The vocals and lyrics are beautiful as always, but the production, almost psychedelic, really stands out here. Once again, it’s one of my favorite songs from the album, although it’s just beaten by some of the others. 10+/10.

“Smoke”: There’s a blissful catharsis to this song, and I love it. The imagery within the lyrics is really strong, and it’s just an incredible song. 10+/10.

“Billions”: A strong end to the album, and I really liked the choir as an outro. 10/10. 

Personal Ranking:

1. “Crude Drawing Of An Angel”
2. “Hopedrunk Everasking” (tie)
3. “Butterfly Net” (tie)
4. “Welcome To My Island” (tie)
5. “Smoke” (tie)
6.  “Blood and Butter” (tie)
7. “Bunny Is A Rider” (tie)
8. “Pretty In Possible” (tie)
9. “Billions”
10. “Sunset”
11. “I Believe” 
12. “Fly To You (feat. Grimes and Dido)” 

If you couldn’t tell by now, I LOVE this Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. Although some songs are undoubtedly superior to others, there are no skips to be found here, which is an impressive feat. It quite literally is my entire personality right now, and you should listen to it immediately. Regardless of your own preference, I can assure you that you will almost certainly find at least something to admire within this record. A major victory for Polachek, indeed.