The horrors of life spill out in Jane Remover’s "Census Designated"
Jane Remover’s sophomore album, Census Designated, has finally been released. It’s difficult to put the pure artistry that Jane Remover exudes into words, but her music has captivated listeners as long as she’s been writing and producing. Remover’s debut album, Frailty, received critical acclaim for its glitchy and calamitous portrayal of nostalgia and growth, but the artist leaves behind the predominant elements of digicore in exchange for a more sultry shoegaze sound in her latest project. Combining this shift with her trademarks of dark ambience and noisy emotional outbursts, Jane Remover creates a gorgeously grotesque masterpiece within Census Designated.
The lyricism of Census Designated is definitely not for the faint of heart. Jane Remover predominantly uses gruesome imagery of pain, decomposition, and cannibalism to discuss the cruel realities of relationships, self-hatred, and the music industry. The album opens with “Cage Girl / Camgirl”, where Remover sings, “chew me up, spit me out before you can swallow / I peel my eyes open, everyone knows, and nobody cares.” Each track bleeds pure vulnerability out for listeners, eloquently demonstrating how agony, desperation, and manipulation can leave a person left as a shell of their former selves. Remover’s writing is raw and eccentric, discussing lingering aspects of dread that many people attempt to suppress.
Sonically, Jane Remover powerfully delivers the same haunting experience that seeps out of her lyricism. One of the strongest aspects of Census Designated is the pacing of its dynamics. The track “Lips” begins with an ominously ethereal sound; it feels smooth and sulky, yet slight distortion and glitchy background noises keep “Lips” rough around its edges. Deep bass hums in the background alongside Remover’s wistful vocal layering slowly build up until reaching the climax of the song; “Lips” switches into fully rugged noise rock, where the percussion, bass, and screaming vocals take full flight as Remover sings “Take a step back, boy, I’m so afraid / You want crazy, I’ll give you insane.”
Census Designated constantly keeps listeners on their toes but never to the point in which Remover’s choices feel jarring or out of place. Every aspect of the album works together harmoniously to explain the journey and the feelings that Remover attempts to express in each song.
One element of particular interest is Remover’s vocal performance. Remover demonstrates significant improvements in her singing from Frailty; she much more comfortably controls her voice and implements her stylistic flairs excellently into each track.
However, the instrumental production often overshadows Jane Remover’s singing, which is undeniably a moving artistic choice given the themes present throughout the record. In the explosive and compelling title track, “Census Designated”, Remover cries out with fears such as “Once you’re in me, fifty thousand bills in your hand / Like, I’m the princess of Ocean City / No convincing that you’ll remember / The poison in my mouth wants you in me.” Exposing the corrupt exploitation of young artists within the music industry, Remover attempts to make herself known after being used simply for profit, yet she remains forgotten with only screams overpowering the loud instrumental of the track.
On the album’s release day, Jane Remover stated on Instagram: “I used to fantasize about getting in my car and driving somewhere off-grid, never to be seen again. I was so afraid of my mind and what it was turning into. I was in a very dark place, but I try to keep my life private and explain myself through the art. This album was an exercise in working through debilitating thought patterns in the best way I know how to.” Census Designated shows the process of suffering and healing at their deepest and most disturbing levels, and it deserves to be credited as nothing short of amazing.
Remover went on to say “After nearly two years, I can say that I am doing better these days. I’m thankful that I finished this album and am here right now to give you these ten songs.” There is immense thanks in return to Jane Remover for releasing a body of work that shares her personal tribulations so openly and honestly. Census Designated is truly a treasure that exposes life at its worst while establishing hope within its aftermath.