In a post-‘Brat’ world, it’s easy to draw a line between Charli XCX’s culture-shifting record and any project of hard-hitting, bittersweet club sounds that comes after. While shades of the British popstar’s impact can certainly be found on Blusher’s second EP ‘Racer’, the Australian band have been drawing from a similar well of influences since their sublime 2023 debut EP, ‘Should We Go Dance?’.
The pop-minded trio – made up of Lauren Coutts, Jade Ingvarson-Favretto and Miranda Ward, who all trade roles as producers, singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists – recommit to the dancefloor on the six-track ‘Racer’, where they’ve sharpened their sound and, more importantly, their hooks. Take the cheeky ‘Don’t Look At Me Like That’, where the chanted cadence of the chorus ( “Don’t make it / Ro-man-tic / Don’t look at me like you’re in love / Don’t make it / Dra-ma-tic / Don’t look at me like that”) is an inescapable earworm.
The same stickiness can be found across most of the EP. High-octane title track ‘Racer’ is a gorgeous cross between ‘Tension’-era Kylie Minogue and ‘Brat’’s rave energy. Meanwhile, ‘WHATEVERWHATEVER’ might be light lyrically (“I wanna go out, I wanna stay in / I want to get delirious and do it all again”), but the breezy synth-driven anthem about brushing off pressure is great for setting the mood for a night out.
Not every song can be a banger, though. The melody of ‘Marathon’ is instantly familiar, even if you can’t put your finger on it – but once you realise it’s reminiscent of the children’s tune ‘Camptown Races’, the song is ruined for good. Pair that with lyrics that are more cringe than cool (“Crying in the club, yeah I’m so cliche / But I’m crying in the club in a cool new way”), and you have the EP’s only skip.
A better surprise is earnest closer ‘Running To You’. At first, it comes off as lovely but quite typical – like one of those label-mandated ballads you’d find on almost every K-pop album. But, just as it’s winding down, the lasers and synths start swirling and the hi-hat kicks in, transforming the song into a euphoric Boiler Room-esque instrumental as their vocals loop in the background.
It’s Blusher themselves who best encapsulate the EP on the joyous, ABBA-coded disco tune ‘Last Man Standing’, where they sing “And I do it for the love of the sport, and I do it ’cause I just want more” over a driving bassline and shimmering synths. Both the line and song sum up the band’s entire vibe and ethos: turning the dial up to 10 and giving it their all just because they love pop that much. It comes through in droves on ‘Racer’, where they’ve turbocharged their fun-loving electro-pop sound, bringing it to the next level.
Details
- Record label: Atlantic Records / Warner Music Australia
- Release date: July 31, 2025