Allie X is an unpredictable artist. Transitioning from one chapter to another in her work, the Toronto pop talent reached remarkable new heights with her 2024 release, ‘Girl With No Face’.
Lauded for its artistic boldness, Allie X has not rested on her laurels – she has created something new, blending pop melody with classical composition, reminiscent of the aesthetic adventurousness of her youthful idols.
Now available, ‘Happiness Is Going To Get You’ is characterized by Allie X as a 12-track “deep breath”, presenting a lush, easy-listening cycle that is as lovely as its intense predecessor.
With Allie X set to support Magdalena Bay in February, ‘Happiness Is Going To Get You’ is a puzzle waiting to be unraveled. Clash invited Allie X to discuss the origins of her new album as part of our regular Foundations feature.
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Fiona Apple – ‘Tidal’
This was a remarkable piano-centric album I first heard in my childhood. I'm still amazed that she was just 18 when she wrote it. I will always cherish her iconic “everything is bullshit” speech at the 1997 VMAs, along with the backstory of her song “Criminal”. Musically, the chord progressions, production techniques, and the purity of letting Fiona's songwriting shine through remain deeply inspiring to this day.
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Portishead – ‘Dummy’
This album created waves that reverberated through culture, and it still feels incredibly fresh and groundbreaking. It may be pointless to analyze these albums too deeply, but I love the warm crackling sound and the incorporation of samples.
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Tori Amos – ‘Boys For Pele’
I first got my hands on this album when I was very young. I remember asking my mom to buy it for me at Blockbuster after seeing Tori on Much Music (Canada's MTV), which fascinated me. I felt quite rebellious when I opened the album cover and saw images of her nursing baby pigs!
I’m genuinely thankful I discovered this album, as I didn’t encounter subversive material as a child, and I appreciate that this gave me a taste of rebellion. I think Pele represents a goddess in Hawaii, and the title refers to nourishing her men. The lyrics on this album are wild and convey a stream-of-consciousness rage and rawness, such as the line “Chickens get a taste of your meat.” Tori's use of the harpsichord and her exceptional skills as a musician continue to amaze me. I’m a huge fan.
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The Beatles – ‘Abbey Road’
Hi – I’m a Beatles enthusiast. I’d prefer not to be, as it seems to attract discussions typically dominated by straight men who enjoy playing complex jazz chords and attended Berklee, but here I am, a mega fan. Peter Jackson’s Get Back, which reworked footage from Let It Be, made me feel sympathetic towards Paul McCartney and solidified ‘Abbey Road’ as one of my favorite Beatles albums.
Watching them create those songs at a point when they were all somewhat exhausted and over it… Paul is always striving to keep things moving forward. I really related to that, and it genuinely touched me.
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Bach – Well Tempered Clavier
‘Happiness Is Going To Get You’ delves into the concept of time. While writing it, I felt as if I was channeling energy from a different time period. In many respects, it feels like I was a conduit for an essence coming from either the future or the past. This marks Allie X's first “piano album”, and that alone stirred up nostalgia, reminding me of my early songwriting days and my beginnings as a student of the piano.
The Well Tempered Clavier is a fascinating work. I’ve learned that it played a crucial role in establishing the standardized tuning for pianos that we use today. I discovered that “equal temperament” (the tuning method for modern pianos) is possible only because all semitones are slightly out of tune. Perfect tuning is mathematically unattainable, and the embrace of imperfection feels quite rebellious for a work that was meant as a technical exercise… love it. Thank you, Bach!
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Björk – ‘Debut Live’
I keep going back to this live album of ‘Debut’, where Björk presents deconstructed versions of her electronic work purely acoustically, collaborating with a multitude of specialist musicians using niche and historic instruments. Her curiosity and experimental spirit always inspire me. With her amazing voice, the essence of each song endures across various interpretations.
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‘Happiness Is Going To Get You’ is now available.
Photo Credit: Moni Haworth
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