“Lose a Little”

It's rare for a song to capture both the volatility and bliss of love. Profligate—the experimental pop duo of Philly noise musician Noah Anthony and L.A. poet Elaine Kahn—do just that with “Lose a Little.” A highlight from their new record, Somewhere Else, it’s restless and emotional: cold and hot all at once, with an ever-changing palette of darkwave synthesizer tones, sultry bass plucks, and dour drum lines. The only anchors in this sea of noise are Anthony’s foggy baritone and Kahn’s soft soprano, which swirl around each other as they deliver opaque lines about a romance consisting of “staring at the sun” and frigid “January winds.” Their spooky tones and the constant motion of the song make “Lose a Little” feel almost nightmarish: It progresses in fits and starts, like a person drifting in and out of a feverish sleep. Finally, the song settles down, all the moving noise dissolving into a smoky buzz and Kahn’s placid recitations: “There are no little echoes/And I leap into the sea.” From the desperate start to this serene end, on “Lose a Little,” Profligate offer something that’s as complex and engrossing as a sordid affair.