Soran Dussaigne may have first gained attention through traditional star-making machinery—with a 2016 appearance on Quebec reality show La Voix that led to a short-lived Universal deal—but with each release, the Montreal artist has drifted further away from his R&B roots in pursuit for a more idiosyncratic vision. Following the alt-pop pivot of 2024’s Loneliness Confetti, Soran’s third album, Daystar, sees him eagerly align himself with eccentric indie auteurs like M83 (see: the psychedelic synth-pop of the title track), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (on the drum-looped delight “Luigi”), and Mk.gee (the dream-state soul serenade “Destiny”). Even when he’s embroiled in down-on-my-knees romantic drama (“Tears in the Summer”) or slipping into acoustic sadboi mode (“Sideways Falling”), Daystar exudes the joyful, liberated spirit of an artist following his muse wherever it leads him.