Feature: beabadoobee’s debut album rewires '90s rock into 2020 indie pop

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: triple j, October 2020

With her debut album Fake It Flowers, beabadoobee has officially arrived.

Sure, the British-Filipina musician (born Beatrice Laus) has been out here doing her thing for a couple of years now; however, the release of her debut album truly feels like she’s stepping up to the plate as one of Gen Z’s indie leaders.

A tight, 12-track package of rock music that serves as a love letter to some powerful 90’s alt-rock names (Alanis, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr come to mind), Fake It Flowers puts a refreshing, modern spin on the kinds of concerns and observations we’ve all gone through in youth. 

This brand of guitar-centric and pop-leaning rock music that Bea is now known for isn’t something new; we’ve seen bands like Best Coast, Speedy Ortiz and more recently, Clairo, excel at expressing themselves through this way. An album like Fake It Flowers adds to this great canon of storytelling from a young, feminine perspective.

Bea has previously released four EPs, stretching back to 2018’s Lice, and been working on her craft consistently since her track ‘Coffee’ first hit the internet in 2017; the song that enjoyed viral success thanks to being sampled by Canadian artist Powfu. 

The records, while fun listens for any fan of indie rock, cruised by without really making a stamp. It brought beabadobee to the radars of circles seeking out their next indie guitar hero, but these releases always felt like we were still a little ways away from getting that definitive beabadoobee punch.

Yet, as the opening notes of ‘Care’ kick in and Fake It Flowers embarks on its journey, we know that this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The album takes the emotional essence of those EPs and brings it into an elevated and refined realm of instrumentation and arrangement. 

Take a spin with ‘Dye It Red’ and ‘Worth It’ and you’ll hear the pure intuition Bea has approached in the songwriting of both. Cinematic fills meet strings and clever tempo changes make each track perfect for pop playlists, yet offer something different for pop fans to latch onto.

It’s clear that beabadoobee’s affinity with the guitar is a special one, even though she’s only been playing the instrument for three years. As she described to Richard Kingsmill on 2020, the guitar became her  solace when her life was going down the wrong path.

“I got kicked out of school and everything was going completely down hill.” she said. Her dad bought her her first guitar shortly after and from there, beabadoobee began focusing on learning the instrument.

“I was really depressed and he definitely noticed that; he thought getting me a guitar would help me express myself, and it really did.”

Her parents’ influence extends beyond her connection with the guitar too, with Bea’s mum offering up early examples of musical influence during her childhood. She may have been born in 2000, but beabadoobee’s musical education was anchored heavily in the emotional, grunge-heavy era of 90’s rock.

Fake It Flowers evokes a wide range of influences, from the likes of Julianna Hatfield, The Cardigans to Smashing Pumpkins and Elastica, but as Bea remembered, it was Veruca Salt and Alanis Morrisette’s music that she really found a home with.

“It was so familiar and it’s that nostalgia I want people to feel when they listen to my music.” Bea said. 

“The whole ‘90s thing, it’s really flattering. People might think I want to do it in a technical way or that I try to make it sound like that but i think that if you listen to music from a certain time, it inevitably will influence the music you write without you even realising.”

It’s refreshing to hear a young artist like beabadoobee talk about her influences so openly and proudly. Particularly today, where there’s a certain pressure for artists to be creating music that feels like it’s reinventing the wheel, Bea’s embrace of this music is one listeners can absorb and enjoy. Plus, she’s freakin’ good at it.

beabadoobee’s mastering of the frantic, wild guitar-driven sounds is a striking take away that you are hit with early on in the piece (‘Worth It’, ‘Back To Mars’), but Fake It Flowers also proves that she can be vulnerable on record too. Intimacy and melodic nuance come across as well as the enthusiasm behind the lush guitars and well-paced percussion. 

The 20-year-old spotlights young love and the intricacies of relationships without veering into huge cliched territory narrating the ups and downs of navigating them with transparency; ‘Further Away’ and ‘Horen Sarrison’ almost acting like bookends for a first argument.

“You are the smell of pavement / After the rain / You are the last / Empty seat on a train”

Further, Fake It Flowers is unafraid to be open about mental health and Bea’s own inner struggles as a teenager. 

Moving to the UK from the Philippines with her family at a young age, Bea grew up in Camden; a place that she attributes to influencing her sound and style as well. Being kicked out of her all-girls Catholic school for slipping grades and rebellious behaviour, Bea slipped into a period of turmoil that she truly had to go through, to get through.

It’s this part of her life that is presented with beauty on ‘Charlie Brown’. On this track, Bea confronts this dark time in her life, referencing the self-harm she went through, but also uses this moment of reflection to acknowledge the person she has since become.

“It’s about the idea of doing things as a distraction from your life.” she told Kingsmill.

“It’s about how you feel and those distractions not necessarily being the best ones. Understanding that mistake and the temptation of doing something bad to make you feel better is always going to be there. It was me pouring my heart out, confessing it.”

It’s a moment of pride as it is sombre reflection, and a strong example of how Bea’s songwriting has strengthened over the last year. 

An early signing to Dirty Hit - the flagship label of The 1975 - helped frame beabadoobee as a bedroom pop star-in-the-making. But Fake It Flowers suggests her status likely to shift as her sound and profile continues to grow, even if that trajectory is about to crank up some.

“I didn’t really expect any of this to happen, this whole music thing was not planned.” she says earnestly.

“I love everything that’s happening now and I appreciate everything that’s happened now, it’s just that it takes a while to get used to things. Especially for someone who isn’t used to any of this.”

The album isn’t without its flaws; there are moments where that emotional climax feels rushed (‘Further Away’), but the intent behind the songs and Bea’s talent as a writer outshines them.

A record that has been made with cathartic sing-alongs, emotional purging and sheer enjoyment in mind, Fake It Flowers is the perfect way to introduce an artist who clearly has solid writing and instrumental chops on her side. 

Feature: Against All Odds - ONEFOUR are here to thrive, not threaten

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: triple j, November 2020

"It's changing an attitude towards life; it's a new thing for us."

This month marks a touchstone moment for Mount Druitt drill heroes ONEFOUR: the release of their long-awaited debut EP, Against All Odds.

It represents a journey none of them expected to embark on. It’s a journey that has been defined by struggle, public scrutiny and adversity. Yet at the same time, it’s seen a whole new spotlight become focused on a group of young Pacific Islanders blazing a new trail for Australian-bred rap. 

Depending on how invested you are in the story, ONEFOUR are either underground drill pioneers turned  leaders, or they’re thugs with a platform.

With three of their members currently incarcerated, it’s easy to push the narrative that the group pose a strong threat to the wider community. Talking to the public faces of ONEFOUR - Spenny and J Emz - it’s clear that this isn’t one they’re interested in promoting. 

"We feel good about it,” Spenny says of the group’s forthcoming release.

“We feel like there’s gonna be more young islander kids that are gonna come up and do what we’re doing now, because of the levels we’re doing it at. It’s good for us to set an example through the work; that we can show them that if you do put your head to things, you can get to the levels we get to.”

The cautious and deliberate nature both Spenny and J Emz initially speak with is in direct contrast to the confident and braggadocious presence you hear on record. But it makes sense; these are people who have been grown up in an environment where silence protects your own and now they’re in a new one, where public knowledge is everything.

As conversation moves from the music to the impact they feel the group can have on younger generations of Pacific Islanders, J Emz and Spenny are more spirited. The importance of the platform they now have has not been lost on them.

“We never thought that our music would make this much of an impact, you know?” J Emz says.

“But as we’ve progressed and through everything we’ve been achieving, we’ve realised it actually is something.”

Fame and notoriety at the level they’ve achieved isn’t something ONEFOUR had on the cards when they first started pursuing music seriously. The work has continued behind the scenes as the praise rolls in, with the group instead taking each moment as a learning experience, pouring it all into the EP.

It’s where Against All Odds really shines: ONEFOUR emerge as storytellers with observations on a music career that only few could match. 

Songs like ‘Welcome To Prison’ and ‘Home And Away’ saw ONEFOUR veer away from their harder drill stylings, opting for more reflective moments where they allowed vulnerability to take centre stage. 

Releasing a track like ‘Welcome To Prison’ came at a time where the whirlwind of attention surrounding ONEFOUR was at a particular peak.

The sentencing and imprisonment of members YP, Lekks and Celly last year over their role in a 2018 brawl capped off a year that saw the group’s forced cancellation of shows due to alleged police pressure on venues and promoters.

The group’s history with law enforcement is presented with lyrical frustration but even then, these are bars that turn into millions of views and streams, not to mention spurring on a growing global fanbase that hangs on every word.

Most recently, ONEFOUR released their latest single - another collaboration with fellow international trailblazer The Kid LAROI - in ‘My City’. It follows on from a hectic hat trick of international collabs that saw them jump on tracks with Headie One, A$AP Ferg and Dutchavelli.

“I personally feel like it came naturally.” J Emz says of ONEFOUR’s recent link ups. “We didn’t have to prove ourselves to them. Hearing other artists and seeing what they go through, [you see] the similarities.”

An artist like Headie One perhaps shares some of the strongest similarities to ONEFOUR. Recently we were able to take a dive into the British rapper’s life and journey with his debut album Edna; in a similar way to the music ONEFOUR are making, his stories and observations have a cautionary air to them.

J Emz and Spenny know that with their music, the negative connotations associated with gang life (performative or not) aren’t going to go away. But as with Headie One’s rise to success, say, theirs is also one that highlights how people can succeed outside systems that have been built for them to fail within. 

“[The negative] stuff has been highlighted, but our work and the things that we have achieved has also been taken seriously as well.” J Emz says. “People can see that there are big things and good things that we’ve been accomplishing.” 

They’ve also had to establish and work around a new business model that can serve them as independent artists, as well as artists who have the unique conditions that they do on top of everything else.

The success of the group’s music has not just brought ONEFOUR fame, but it’s given the young rappers on the outside the opportunity to explore new endeavours. Still only in their early twenties, J Emz and Spenny are now in the position to grow their team and employ people in their community and circle to become part of the fold.

For anyone who shares a Pasifika background, this innate sense of holding your own down is nothing new. And it’s why, when pressed on it, J Emz and Spenny don’t see what they’re doing as revolutionary. 

The Samoan sense of aiga or ‘family’ runs strong with the ONEFOUR crew. And though YP, Lekks and Celly aren’t able to reap the rewards of the group’s successes behind bars, their presence is still felt strongly both on record, and with the other members of the crew.

“They’re excited,” Spenny says. “The boys have just been doing their time, they’ve been leaving it up to me and J Emz to take care of everything, pretty much. They call in and ask questions about it all; it’ll still be here for them.”

J Emz agrees. It’s going to be new territory for the other ONEFOUR members to re-enter into, but he, Spenny and the wider team are making sure that it’s one they’ll be able to enjoy and grow from, as they have.

“Before they went to jail, none of this was actually happening.” He says. “They never got to experience anything we’re going through now, all the fun we’re having.” 

“They’re taking it as it comes, taking in what they hear over the phone, but they’re proud of us. Of course, they want to be a part of it, but those walls are holding them back. When they come home, they’ll be able to be part of it.”

Releasing the record in the middle of a pandemic isn’t something that’s been as much of an issue for ONEFOUR as it has been for other artists. As J Emz and Spenny point out, perhaps this time of forced inaction will give people an idea of what they’ve had to go through.

“When it [Coronavirus] really did hit, it gave us time to really work on this EP,” Spenny says. “It really was a blessing in disguise.”

“We weren’t allowed to do shows anyway, but we’d perform in the studio so it gave us the upper hand in making music.” J Emz adds.

“Maybe with this project, people will understand how seriously we take music and doors will begin to open, you know?”

Looking ahead to the release of the EP, J Emz and Spenny aren’t nervous about the reactions to it; they’re keen to see how much further it takes the group. They don’t necessarily see themselves as role models for Islander youth in Australia, but definitely feel that their success can have a ripple effect for other aspiring artists to now have it a bit easier. 

Their families haven’t heard the record yet, but they know the impact of ONEFOUR’s music is much larger than just playlist and charting success.

“My dad loves the music and that but it’s not their type of thing!” J Emz says. “They like what we’re doing and they know what it means. It means something.”

“It’s changing an attitude towards life,” Spenny adds. “It’s a new thing for us.”

Feature: Don't sleep on Alice Ivy, she's becoming a force to be reckoned with

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: triple j, JULY 2020

Since 2015, Alice Ivy has been a name that has gone from conjuring head-turning buzz, through to being one in high demand. 

From establishing herself on Melbourne’s producer scene, to gracing stages around the country, the Geelong-born artist has built a strong body of work that has most recently been topped up, with her sophomore album Don’t Sleep.

Arriving two years on from her debut I’m Dreaming, her latest collection is ambitious in its scope, international in its sound and a total vibe in its general delivery. Here, we see Alice Ivy flexing within a kaleidoscope of grooves and soul influences, while incorporating some of the country’s most engaging voices as collaborators.

Bringing in the likes of Thelma Plum, Montaigne, SAFIA’s Ben Woolner and Ngaiire, Don’t Sleep offers the listener a range of moods and sonic influences. Balancing falsettos with rich soulful harmonics and moments of romance and melancholy, the partnerships we see flourish on this album stand strong on their own as much as they do in informing Don’t Sleep’s broader sound.

Even in the lead up to the album’s release, we knew this album would come fleshed out with a cast of talented players; linking up with noted photographer Michelle Grace Hunder, Alice Ivy posted up with life-size cardboard cut-outs of her collaborators in lieu of your traditional artist photo shoot.

Individually, the album guests are strong in their own lanes; to have them form quite the all-star team on an Alice Ivy record? A complete home run.

Don’t Sleep is a stride, not a step, into the spotlight for Alice Ivy. And yet, the release of an album so accomplished is not exactly surprising, to look at Alice Ivy’s journey so far.

Moving from Geelong to Melbourne to pursue music at university, Alice Ivy (a.k.a Annika Schmarsel) took a deep dive into audio technology and discovered just how integral samples can be to finding your own sound. 

“I was so blown away by the artistic freedom of using samples,” she says, in an essay penned for Red Bull. “I realised I could make this big sound I’d been chasing for so long by myself.”

“I would spend hours in my room making beats. I was hooked.”

Some of her early influences remain present in her work today: J. Dilla, Onra, The Avalanches. That innate charisma you can hear threaded throughout her work harkens back to those early ‘90s and ‘00s records that rode strong on connecting with emotion.

It’s this charisma and love for a wide scope of musical flavours that Don’t Sleep has been built upon. Digging deep into the soul of the music in producing an end product that was not only catchy to the ear, but memorable in the brain. 

Released into a music climate that is currently shackled in its inability to thrive in clubs and the live environment, Don’t Sleep keeps the spirit of an energetic club night alive.

Album opener ‘Champagne Late Nights’ sets the tone - a simmering track that, at just over a minute in length, encourages the listener to catch some initial heat as rhymes hypnotise over the beat. From there, it’s on, as hypnotic bars make way for tempo changes and a showcase of Alice Ivy’s dexterous talents as producer. 

As Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon challenges on ‘Sunrise’, “Can you keep up?”

As the album gears up and hits its stride, we hear a strong pack of voices adding their own touch over skilful synth and electronic-pop work. Ecca Vandal swoons and entrances on ‘In My Mind’, while Montaigne and Bertie Blackman join forces on the romantic ‘Sweetest Love’. 

‘Better Man’ sees SAFIA vocalist Ben Woolner (credited as Benjamin Joseph here) flexes his trademark vocal acrobatics (with the o.g. Ratdog Alex Dyson taking centre stage in the video); the vibe of the tune is testament to the duo’s shared talent as multi-instrumentalists.

“He can literally play anything,” Alice Ivy said of the track back in May. “We were moving around the room picking up as many different instruments as we could and putting them on the track.”

“Ben’s writing style is different to mine; we focused a lot on the groove and feel of the instrumental before even touching the vocals.”

Lead single ‘Don’t Sleep’ is infectious thanks to its compelling arrangement and the energetic presence of imbi the girl and BOI. Directly following the album’s Thelma Plum-collaboration ‘Ticket To Heaven’, it’s a change in tone, but doesn’t stick out as being an anomaly. 

“I reached out to artists that I’ve always loved and admired,” Alice Ivy told triple j. “I’m such a fangirl for all these artists on the record, I was like “I wonder if they’d be keen to jump into the studio or do some writing,” and here we are.”

“When I went into the room with Thelma for the first time to write ‘Ticket To Heaven’, I had never met Thelma before. I was so nervous because I am the biggest Thelma Plum fan. I went into this AirBnb that I’d set up this makeshift studio [in] and I was so nervous. In five hours, it’s amazing when it clicks and works out.”

Nerves aside, the collaborations on Don’t Sleep are some of Alice Ivy’s most organic sounding yet. In working with a range of artists who each espouse their own unique talent and approach, Alice Ivy’s curated her own menu of artists from which a casual listener can go forth and discover.

Each voice has its own space to shine and is not overshadowed by Alice Ivy, rather complemented by her sonic aesthetic. 

Don’t Sleep, just like I’m Dreaming before it, shouldn’t be considered your usual dance fodder. It takes its time to breathe as it does explore some euphoric highs. Similarly, Alice Ivy isn’t just your usual producer - she’s advancing her own musical identity with each release with prowess.

Review: Lime Cordiale - 14 Steps To A Better You (2020)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: triple j, JULY 2020

The last decade has been a slow-burn success story for Lime Cordiale.

From their humble beginnings as a Northern Beaches surf rock band to the large-scale pop-rock that’s earned the duo massive praise in recent years, brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach have been on quite the musical journey.

The release of their new album 14 Steps To A Better You comes three years on from their long-awaited debut, Permanent Vacation. A debut album that mixed their beachy roots with irresistible melodies and slick production, Permanent Vacation proved to be a strong representation of the dynamic partnership between the brothers.

With 14 Steps To A Better You, we hear not just the bolstering of their partnership as musicians but a defining musical statement. It’s Lime Cordiale, summarised in 14 tracks. It incorporates the spirit of fun that’s driven the Leimbachs’ work to date, but sees them develop their songwriting in depth and nuance. Oli and Louis have always been self-aware when it comes to their lyricism - but here they’ve taken it up an extra notch.

Having spent much of the interim between their two records abroad, churning out joyous live show after joyous live show, regrouping back on home soil - with Permanent Vacation producer Dave Hammer - adds an extra level of depth to the final result. 

Sonically, the album maintains the laid-back nature that we know and expect from Lime Cordiale. It is easy to get lost in the freewheeling, carefree elements of the band’s pop arrangements; the skanked out vibes of ‘Screw Loose’ to the playful ‘No Plans To Make Plans’ landing as two great examples of the caution-to-the-wind vibe this album excels at.

14 Steps… doesn’t depict Lime Cordiale as perennial sunshine kids, though. The album works its way through a myriad of emotions: angst, heartbreak, lamentation and self-criticism rear their heads amongst each breezy melody and uplifting build. 

“We just felt like we were quite opinionated throughout the whole album and it just turned into this weird self-help guide,” they explained to triple j back in April.

‘No Plans To Make Plans’, a song about selfishness and losing one’s way, is still delivered with tongues firmly planted in cheeks.

“It’s about someone with a lot of power who’s not really using their power for good, whether it’s a politician or an influencer,” Lime Cordiale told Richard Kingsmill.

“When people are looking up to you, you should really be giving off a good message and be a good role model. It’s about someone who has lost their way, taken the wrong route or just lost perspective.”

Romanticism and reflection enter as significant players on 14 Steps…, as the second half of the album explores heartbreak, longing and relatability. Across ‘Dear London’, ‘Dirt Cheap’ and ‘Following Fools’, Lime Cordiale let the more chaotic pop sounds take a back seat as they explore more wistful swooning territory.

“Dear London I love you/But please don’t think it’s you I blame /It’s not even the weather /Wherever I go it seems to rain”

It’s these moments of heartfelt introspection that have made Lime Cordiale so endearing to many over the years. 

Though it’s been inspired by the self-help book model, 14 Steps To A Better You is really a manifesto of how Lime Cordiale’s general approach to music and connecting with people has strengthened and developed over the last three years.

Each contribution to this album is strong on its own: the complexities wrapped up in dense instrumentation, soulful vocal rumblings and commanding horn fills all come together to make a gorgeously well-rounded fuller picture. 

The album further asserts Lime Cordiale as strong champions of a broad musical spectrum that can be played with, broken down and reassembled and much more than that, it’s bloody fun.

Achieving a balance between the knockout banger and slow-burning nostalgia, Lime Cordiale have provided an album that remains accessible and a joy to get wrapped up in. And right now, that’s the type of music we need.