Album Reviews

MASSEDUCTION

It’s ironic that Annie Clark’s most accessible album to date can feel so anti-pop. Clark is as popular as she’s ever been, and there’s an element of

MASSEDUCTION that accepts this transition into the spotlight with broad appeal. But beneath the alluring pastel Technicolour sheen are stories and sounds brimming with nuanced genre critique, that shows where pop can go if we’re willing to bend the walls.

Her trademark future-tone-infused art-pop swirls worm their way into the status quo, drawing you in and then challenging expectations by being constantly at odds with themselves. But the record settles in that intriguing point between strange and familiar throughout – dark and vulnerable, yet musically and emotionally relatable. Clark plucks styles from a selection of pop staples and injects her subversive take into the mix to grand effect, while making time for a few subtle numbers where she lays herself bare for the world to absorb. More often than not, the effects-laden guitar, thunderclap cymbals, chaotic synths and piercing screams emerge to shake the foundations of soft, familiar beats, reassuring grooves and calming vocal tones.

Recurring themes of sexuality, happiness, intimacy, relationships, isolation, loss, tragedy and regret rear their heads as Clark rockets towards exhilarating highs before life drags her deep into the valleys over and over again. Broader observations of new and unfamiliar surroundings are particularly poignant, beginning with sharp social criticism and frustrated outbursts that often culminate in a sense of loneliness and confusion. Rarely does Clark come across as truly happy, and that alone can make the sugar-coated songs cut deep as you picture her masking torment with a smile. But by being so self-aware, Clark makes sure that MASSEDUCTION doesn’t crumble into hopelessness. Instead, it accepts creative and personal conflict. It takes a sincere approach to decidedly raw subject matter, then wraps it up and presents it in a shiny, well-produced package.

In other words, MASSEDUCTION is a very complex record, and amidst the all-encompassing syntheticpop tones, it’s... Human.