The title of Taja Cheek’s fourth L’Rain album alludes to an optical illusion in which things very far away, just above the horizon, appear to be stretched or floating. It’s an instructive way to listen to fata morgana, the 2026 LP from the Brooklyn-based experimental pop maestro. Things are never quite what they seem on L’Rain records, an observation she emphasizes on fata morgana. The album’s second track is a meditative, haunted folk treasure called “with time,” which finds Cheek’s voice moving up and down a minor piano scale before slowly, then all at once, morphing into something completely alien to its first half. It’s as if a hurricane is interrupted by sunshine. “borderline” mirrors trip-hop, UK dance subgenres like jungle, and operatic vocal stylings to create something truly without precedent. It’s one of many twists and turns throughout fata morgana, which eventually spins obfuscation and disguise into its own kind of familiarity. Our Favorite Track: The refracted neo-soul of penultimate cut “birthday.”