Album Review
4 Stars Continues Debby Friday’s warped, vibrant dream.
Reviewer: Ben Tipple
Released: 1st August 2025
Label: Sub Pop
Tracks like ‘All I Wanna Do Is Party’ and ‘In The Club’ vividly capture the pulsating rhythm that characterizes underground electropop innovator Debby Friday’s sophomore album. However, drawing from the city’s vibrant core, there’s a shadowy, seductive undercurrent that emerges in tracks like the Anglo-French, dialogue-heavy ‘Arcadia’ and the vocally distorted ‘Leave.’ These two songs nod to the 'Ray of Light' period of Madonna as well as the work of late pop pioneer SOPHIE. ‘The Starrr…’ seems to be a product of the steamy nightclubs of the city and the inevitable comedowns that follow, blending dancefloor escapism with the jarring return to reality. It conveys a sense of hedonism from its opening power four; the driving, industrial ‘Lipsync’ is sure to resonate in vibrant Berlin clubs, setting the stage for an album that steers Debby toward more melodic vocals rather than the fierce dissonance of her debut. Consequently, it feels more unified than the 2023’s woefully overlooked ‘Good Luck,’ which won Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize but failed to achieve the commercial success it rightfully warranted. The raw energy that defined that album now intertwines with dark euphoria, furthering Debby Friday’s twisted, exhilarating fantasy.
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