This sugar rush has taken a long time to finally hit, but every second of the wait has been worth it. Ever since last October’s stunning dopamine shot of “Drivin’ Away” and ensuing single “Sugar Rush”, Sobs vocalist Celine Autumn’s Cayenne project has been amongst Singapore’s most exciting musical prospects, with its hyperpop sheen and razor-sharp melodicism recontextualising her indie pop charm of past. “In this project, I make whatever I want,” Cayenne declares in her Spotify bio, and this freewheeling, playful attitude dominates her hyperpop gloss, all the while connecting with its emotional sincerity – poignant, heartfelt, and occasionally tender. Answering the well-deserved hype, Cayenne emerges ten months later with her debut self-titled EP, solidifying her reinvention with an electrifying post-pop effort that seizes center stage by the throat. 

“Clank!, bangers, huge,” Autumn dubbed the initial works from the project, which fittingly establish the EP's opening scenes. After close to a year, those designations remain understatements for the two singles: the aggressive pulses of “Drivin’ Away” only sound more impactful, with powerful compression punctuating sugary, hedonistic hooks, while, “Sugar Rush” brandishes marvellous production, with its darker leanings making bold statements, demonstrating the project’s synergy between Autumn’s bright melodic sensibilities and her polished production, bolstered in arms with fellow Sobs bandmate Jorud. 

How then could they up the ante? Hyperpop followers and its adjacents brim with noise and punk-leaning elevations, and the logical move would be to follow that route – but instead, Autumn resists the temptation of doubling down on digital mayhem. While the two initial singles dazzled with production-focused foundations, the EP’s latter offerings focus on her melodicism, a key sensibility that allows Autumn’s songcraft to breathe with life, shining through the layers of autotuned crooning and plastic percussion she shrouds herself in. Imbuing her songs with emotional context and counterpoint anchors her EP with one overarching axiom: soul that drips through her synthetics.

Within the latter two tracks, Cayenne switches it up yet again – “Fav Treat” bares its sentiments through a light approach, while “Centrefold” fosters a dark atmosphere. “Fav Treat” revels in airy melodies with a radiant glow, crafting a genuine sugar rush that doubles down on its eponymous predecessor’s namesake. As Autumn’s bubblegum verses glide above buoyant beats and candy-store synths, her melodic choices allow for an effortless concoction, as she bursts into technicolor with a winning chorus: “Cus baby you’re so special to me / I don’t wanna be the reason / For that frown / Wanna see you / smiling cheek to cheek / Kisses all beneath your feet / Oh I’ll do anything for my favourite treat.” That sense of lovelorn yearning underpins these songs, easily cutting through its pitch correction to strike an emotional chord.

When she flips to darker palettes, like on the potent SOPHIE tribute of closer “Centrefold”, she dials back to a more naturalistic approach, as a stark patchwork of snapping grooves and snarling bass growls form foils for her vulnerable verses. That contrast allows her genuinity to shine through, as she reveals her inner psyche: “I never had the guts to say / What I really want from you / I’ll walk it through my mind and try to work it out with you,” she confesses amidst sparse, but hard-hitting beats. Whether through light or darkness, it’s through the lens of these subversions where Autumn’s raw emotional honesty shines through — a constant grounded and elevated by the sweet vocal strength which punctuated her previous work. Even with her balladry situated in alien contexts, the EP’s home stretch strangely feels more genuine than any of her previous work, whether it be via Sobs’ sincere indie pop or Forests’ emo catharsis. The result is a precise reengineering of her signature romantic yearning channeled through a pristine, futuristic alter ego.

Fittingly, there might be no better summary for the release than its label information: “Hot and Cool Music Vibes,” Autumn and Jorud dub their project’s origins, a cheeky for-the-lulz statement that masks the project’s emotional range. But underneath the ironic veneer, Autumn is pursuing Cayenne's music with full sincerity – whether it be via synthetic, hyper-cranked highs, or drowsy, heartbreak-ridden lows. No matter the form, she is making whatever she wants to — and in these songs, she finds freedom that glows with emotionally compelling messages. Thrillingly kicking down the island’s fledgling hyperpop door, Cayenne’s debut marks new heights for Autumn: a defining statement that cements her position amongst the island’s pop vanguard.

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