Marian Renta Drops Explosive New Album 'Summer Blind'

Cover art for "Summer Blind" album showing Renta covering eyes with cryptic hand gesture

Summer is just around the bend, and this is the time for bangers, bops, and grooves. Still on the heels of the release of her compilation album Then Comes Dawn, Renta drops Summer Blind today. Her sophomore album, and first studio album in 14 years, Summer Blind is everything one would expect from a millennial artist with countless influences, multiple talents, and a wealth of experience and growth.

The album's artwork, shot by Kasia, depicts Renta with her left arm raised and bent, covering her eyes with an enigmatic hand gesture. From the stoic expression on Renta's face, to the purple and white striped shirt gleaming against a stale sage wall, the cover sets the tone for the album: Militant, coordinated, hard, and the sense of a criminal element.

Summer Blind, as a body of work, is a unique blend of soul, blues, pop, and R&B. The 9-track album is carefully sequenced so as to seamlessly blend each song together like a documentary of Renta in her creative process. There are ambient sounds of the studio's atmosphere, amps, and subtle noise sparsely scattered throughout the album that add life and realism to a soundscape already bursting with live instrumentation.

Songs like "Circus", "Body", and "Bees" have a hard-hitting R&B vibe reminiscent of mid-nineties hip hop tracks by Wu-Tang Clan and Tribe Call Quest. Laced with soulful, soaring vocals, these uptempo grooves are also met with bluesy guitar riffs, and bass lines that dance with the kick drum. Contrasting these heavy grooves are the sultry and melodious downtempo tracks like "Human Need" and "Detox" that act is cool-downs. Renta takes a slight detour with "Working" as she oozes her smooth R&B vocals over an infectious afro-pop beat and salient brass section that screams at just the right moments.

Summer Blind is available on all platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.