Motherland carries a vital message. Written from the perspective of Mother Earth, the debut solo album from Afternoon Bike Ride singer Lia Kuri gives voice to concerns about climate change while drawing parallels between the planet and maternalism. Kuri approaches these themes with nuanced insight, informed by a degree in environmental science and her experience as a caretaker for her ailing parents.

Downbeat electronica flows through Motherland, setting an introspective mood. Kuri could have yelled her message to the heavens, but instead, she sings in a hushed, often processed voice, forcing the listener to lean in and pay extra attention in order to discern some of her lyrics. 

Although Motherland straddles a relatively consistent tempo, it hits some peaks and valleys, too. Besides a hint of ambience, “Weak” features almost nothing more than piano and vocals. By contrast, “Single Digit Story” warbles like a babbling brook. Light drum-and-bass patters through “Chagrin.” “Cyclone” is the album’s most kinetic moment, a cloudy, rage-fuelled song that calls to attention the way humans exploit both the earth and the female body with a sense of entitlement.

Motherland is inventive in concept and shows that the personal and the global are intrinsically enmeshed. Kuri’s premiere full-length is one to sit with, a soundtrack for considering how we can all take care of others while maintaining our own health.