During this period, it is difficult to convey joy through music, in particular pop music, designed to illuminate our days: today’s music goes from metropolitan nightmares (The Weeknd) to outright perversion (Lady Gaga) all the way to paths of personal growth. through defeats and mistakes (Imagine Dragons).
Most writers who don’t venture into the depths of the present prefer escapism (many rappers) or stadium choruses (the recent disheartening Coldplay). Few take on the joyful mission of music: among them, Georgia is one of the most active.
The London-based musician, the daughter of Leftfield founder Neil Barnes, picked up her father’s deft use of electronics, but otherwise followed a personal path that first took her to shores closer to more experimental r’n’b (Georgia, first album, released in 2015), in which broken and pulsating rhythms demonstrated a desire to free themselves from their parental legacy and use the accumulated collaborations (including with Kae Tempest). From a serious research point of view, Georgia’s debut remains the most interesting, but that wasn’t enough for her and she wanted to go straight to the pop dynamics.
For this reason, second album “Seeking Thrills” in 2020 demonstrated her intention to turn personal exploration into universal ambitions to dance around the world: dance and synth-pop music was enhanced by songs like “About Work The Dancefloor”, which they listed at home . A thing for refined gourmets, even if we are in the field of light music, which leaves marks on the body and little on the heart, it is escapism.
“Thanks to Thrill Seeking, I realized that escapism was a way for me to escape from a world I was afraid of.” With this reflection begins the third change of pace in Georgia’s career. If the world is falling apart, escapism will not be enough. We need an injection of positivity and we need to focus on a need that we are overlooking: experiencing moments of joy. Euphoric (released in 2023 by Domino) takes on this responsibility. This is an important point, because musically this implies further lightening of the sound with the risk of making it inaudible. Georgia takes on this challenge with her luggage of synthesizers and drum machines, as well as his angelic voice. The album is pure pop, consisting of airy songs, a little danceable, united by the desire to convey the joy of life.
Opener “It’s Euphoric” is an effective manifesto, celebrating the euphoria of falling in love between convincing bass lines and a danceable, but not fast, rhythm. We are in the realm of fun pop, more American than English. “Something You’ll Never Know” plays hard on the rhythm and bass in a song that emulates the image of American stars in the vein of Britney Spears (the early days). Derivative but enjoyable to listen to, with a reference in the lyrics to the search for mutual trust that moves from conversations to each other. “Mountain Song” stands out from the others because it is driven by synths and dai. sequencer, as well as a dark chorus that makes it powerful; when listened to at high volumes, it is engrossing and can be listened to multiple times. We’re more Pet Shop Boys than Leftfield, but the song is fun and engaging because of the tension it creates.
“All Night” may be a snippet from Madonna’s (an unheralded but existing deity) disco period, while “The Dream” intelligently picks up The Weeknd’s synth-pop and takes it to calmer shores, where the dream is to make choices not driven by fear. The album closes with “So What,” a tender slow song that explains what sometimes robs us of joy: not knowing how to correct mistakes and thinking we have to be perfect.
In the end, we are also left with the question: “So what?”. Is “Euphoric” more of what’s missing (experimentation, clever electronics) or more of what’s there (message and the popularity that supports it)? At the end of the day, it’s take it or leave it, whether you care or not. light music.
09.10.2023