Designer

Designer is the third album by singer-songwriter Aldous Harding. I saw her performing a week ago and her songs are far more "normal" than her stage act. The songs are great folky indie pop with a twist. I think this album is less experimental than "Warm Chris" and "Train on the Island". That makes it less surprising, but also easier to listen to. "Fixture Picture" and "The Barrel" are the top tracks.

This album has a nice energy. Comfortable and smooth, worked well as a soundtrack for my work today. Kind of a female Jack Johnson vibe going on here with some creative songwriting. Great!

This woman has a great vocal range. The music is very calm and minimalist.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Fixture picture, The barrel, Weight of the planets

Oh no! Another album that has got it's hooks into me. I played it a few times- just couldn't get it out of my head. The videos are pretty bizarre but the musics itself is hypnotic. Submitter what have you done!?

This is really nice. At times reminded me a bit of Sufjan Stevens, but overall it felt fully original. 4 stars.

I've been meaning to listen to more Aldous Harding and this reminded me she has a new album out that I haven't listened to yet. I think it's really good indie folk but not something that is essential listening. My personal rating: 4/5 My rating relative to the list: 4.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No

Nice album this one I’ll hopefully come back to.

Very pleasant. I didn't really listen so this is 3 to 5 stars, but it made charming sounds to my afternoon.

Nicely chilled album , bit too slow for me on occasion but an enjoyable listen overall

Folksy indie, which sounds very English - I didn't get "kiwi" at all! Nothing particularly exciting or innovative, but pleasant enough

what a voice HL: title track, "Zoo Eyes", "Damn", "Weight of the Planets" June 25, 2026

Designer is an album that has stayed with me ever since I discovered it during the Covid years. Aldous Harding distinguishes herself from the average singer-songwriter by adding just enough stubbornness to otherwise conventional songs. The title track is a good example. It constantly shifts between featherlight pop and melancholic folk, with subtle tempo changes that keep it slightly off balance. Elsewhere, the appeal comes from her melodic instincts and a delightfully dry, understated production that leaves plenty of room for the songs to breathe. "Weight of the Planets" remains the standout for me, a genuinely beautiful piece of music. Yet I can't quite get to four stars. For every moment of invention, there's another where the songwriting feels surprisingly lazy. "Pilot," "Treasure," and "Damn" never quite develop beyond their initial ideas. A good album, sometimes a very good one, but not quite consistent enough to reach the level its best moments promise.

Middle of the road

Pretty nice

Indie folk. Ni fu ni fa.

An interesting singer-songwriter LP with some inherent verve that elevates its above its contemporaries. While on the slower side, I appreciated the variation in tempos and instrumentation – each track felt distinct, and usually added to the album’s personality. Does get repetitive in spots, and the back half feels a little limp compared to the first’s energy. A decent listen, regardless, and a more worthy modern singer-songwriter addition than some other albums on the user list.

Mid.

I don’t want to say anything bad about this because I do feel there is some integrity in this choice. But….i found it dull and depressing.