Katie Herzig has finally delivered the album she's always hinted that she was capable of making since going solo in the early 2000s. The Waking Sleep is not just a step forward, because in many ways it's a quantum leap into the territory of a maturing, talented singer-songwriter. This is her most consistent effort yet, and the process of building the songs up from programmed sounds reveals Herzig's deft architectural hand, and the fact that she's chosen bouncy, spirited and cathartic as her palette further bolsters the album. The next step will be learning how to incorporate lyrically the more intimate and raw moments of introspection, but this is an admirable first step in the right direction.