STACK #183 Jan 2020

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Various So Fresh: Hits of Summer 2020 + Best of 2019 What story does this tell about 2019 in pop? How about the decisive success of Post Malone, whose inclusion as opener feels like purposeful commentary? How about the story of Avicii’s legacy, far from sealed with his tragic death last year thanks to posthumous single SOS ? Or that he left EDM-pop in confident hands, with producers Mark Ronson and Calvin Harris making new strides? How about the unlikely rise of Tones and I? Or the unlikelier resurgence of The Veronicas? How about Liam Payne and Niall Horan overtaking Zayn Malik as this year’s leading ex-Directioners? Sure, it’s a rich tapestry. But this compilation will remind you there’s one story that drowned out all others this year: that 2019 was, and will always be remembered as, the year of Old Town Road . (Sony) Jake Cleland

Camila Cabello Romance

Few songs dominated the Australian winter like turbo- summery superhit Senorita , priming Australia’s actual hot season for a dominant run by Camila Cabello. It’s no surprise that the similarly Latin pop- influenced Liar led the singles for Romance , but ultimately this is a showcase for Cabello’s range as more than just a voice to breezy flamenco arrangements. Baring herself, stretch marks and all, Cabello takes cues from 1989 -era Swift for confessionals Easy and Dream of You , pumps up the distorted bass on opener Shameless , and snarks all over desperately overconfident, straight rock riffage Cry For Me . It’s the second half that really shines, but throughout Cabello is a wicked force. (Sony) Jake Cleland

Okay Kaya Watch This Liquid Pour Itself

Okay Kaya is the recording project of Kaya Wilkins, New Jersey-born, Norwegian-raised, now based in Brooklyn. In interviews Kaya speaks of the importance of being near water. You can't jump into the East River, Kaya says, but its mere presence is necessary for her

survival in NewYork. References to water flow through her new album: pools, and sweat and oceans. Ascend and Try Again relates her painful experience learning to scuba dive, but the lyrics double as a mantra for self-preservation. Songs ebb between minimal folk, meditative pop and hazy dance beats as Okay Kaya describes the search for acceptance, peace, and connection with others. It's desire so strong you can watch the liquid pour itself. (Jagjaguwar) SimonWinkler

Halsey Manic

Georgia Maq Pleaser Anyone who's ever heard Camp Cope knows Georgia Maq's singular strength as a songwriter. Camp Cope's debut arrived in 2015, captivating listeners with its stories: experiences of shiftwork in a hospital, the minutiae of sharehouse living in Footscray, and more broadly questions around gender and identity. How to Socialise and Make Friends landed with equal impact in 2018, with Georgia's insightful lyrics striking deep chords over the album's folk and punk-infused arrangements. Pleaser , Georgia's official solo debut arrives as something of a surprise, just weeks before the end of the decade. The guitars are mostly missing, so too the drum kits. They're replaced by hazy synth leads, experimental beats and techno rhythms, produced in

Like cinema, modern pop is getting longer. And like the film that partially inspired Manic – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – these 16 tracks are a winding but beautifully erratic path between hope and despair and back. Like flashes of memory, Manic ping-pongs all over the place stylistically, making for a constantly compelling listen. Clementine feels destined to be screamed at bedroom doors with its Ari Up-ish sneer-shouting; Forever is all ornate piano folk which splits apart into chaos; The Jennifer’s Body -sampling Killing Boys is appropriately eerie and grandiose. More grounded than fantastical previous album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom , Manic is a deeper look at the Halsey behind Halsey. (EMI) Jake Cleland

collaboration with longtime friend Darcy Baylis, and experimental pop prodigy Katie Dey. But what's not surprising at all is the resonant poetry to be found here. Georgia focuses her attention on the biggest, most elusive subject of all, love. "All kinds of love,” Georgia mentions in a statement. “Love that you

walked away from so you could love yourself, unrequited love, forgiving love, love with no point to it.” Georgia's magic is in binding the contradictions of heartbreak, self- discovery and self-acceptance, her songs charged with power and vulnerability. (Poison City Records) SimonWinkler

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JANUARY 2020

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