In the current strain of electronic music there seems to be a strong emphasis on creating a mood through tasteful and crisp production – sometimes at the expense of memorable songwriting.
Although 22-year old Sydney-sider Elizabeth Rose’s long awaited debut EP is a very on-trend take on electro pop that’s not overly innovative, her songwriting chops can’t be questioned with Crystallise containing some of the most immediate and heady pop songs of the year.
Rose opens with Triple J favourites “Give In” & “Ready” – a pair of club-ready bangers built on tight bass with soaring choruses.
“Stars Ago” as well as closer “Fight or Flight” are sultry and melancholic complements, providing decidedly slower and more chilled out moments with layers of vocals and swirling, hypnotic synths.
The collaborative track ‘Again’, which features Sinden, indicates Rose might be best to go it alone; it has tasteful and pleasant production to be sure, but it sounds a bit stiff and contains the EP’s weakest melodies – something Rose prides herself on elsewhere.
Despite this, she has delivered a confident and fully formed debut – an inevitable LP that builds on the strengths shown on Crystallise will no doubt see her garder a much-deserved wider audience.
