Georgia is a firm believer in the cathartic potential of a big, sparkling pop chorus. On her third album ‘Euphoric’, the London producer and songwriter – born Georgia Barnes, but known mononymously by her first name – views the world around her in technicolour: the synths shimmer as though there’s glitter embedded within them; Georgia’s voice can veer into sounding breathless and astonished. “The sun is coming up again,” she sings on recent single ‘All Night’. “The music and our dreams are all we need.”
After releasing a self-titled debut in 2015, Georgia found her audience three years later with follow-up ‘Seeking Thrills’; she would go on to earn a Mercury Prize nomination and tour with HAIM and Carly Rae Jepsen, invigorating swathes of new fans with her lush, ‘80s-inspired tales of dancefloor romances. Sonically, the record was flooded with vocoder effects and winning moments, but was so tightly constructed that, at times, it was hard to distinguish the level of personality she was bringing to the party as a performer.
Unfortunately, that problem persists on ‘Euphoric’. Where Georgia had previously worked on all of her own material from a home studio, for album three, she flew to LA to work with producer Rostam [Clairo, Charli XCX]; the trip would help her to “confront a lot of aspects of my life” as she recently told NME. It’s clear that Georgia has tried to unpack what this personal epiphany means for her: she tells us that she has felt wildly lovestruck (‘It’s Euphoric’), and, at times, has found partying to be an emotional refuge (‘So What’). Yet, she doesn’t do much to stamp her own identity on the songs – as uplifting as they are. Lyrically, she continues to pull away from any big reveal, seemingly hesitating at the idea of giving too much away.
Where a certain lack of individuality seeps into Georgia’s music, the songs on ‘Euphoric’ instead largely derive strength from the production. Animated by ribbons of multiple drum loops, ‘Live Like We’re Dancing Part II’ – a sequel to the 2020 Mura Masa collaboration of the same name – will certainly connect with festival crowds this summer, while the dreamlike sequencing of ‘Keep On’ generates a feeling of weightlessness.
There’s a certain power to ‘Euphoric’, but it certainly could have been a much more potent album. It’s a shame, and a missed opportunity: we don’t learn much about Georgia’s new worldview on a record that is, supposedly, dedicated to moving on from the past.
Details
- Release date: July 28, 2023
- Record label: Domino