GEORGIA - Euphoric

These days it's hard to convey joy through music, particularly pop music, which is supposed to be in charge of lightening our days: the current crop ranges from urban nightmares (The Weeknd) to admissible perversions (Lady Gaga) all the way to paths of personal growth through defeats and mistakes (Imagine Dragons).

Most songwriters who don't venture into the thick of the present prefer escapism (many rappers) or the stadium-sized chorus (the dispiriting recent Coldplay). Few take on the joyful mission of music: Georgia is one of the most active among them.

The London musician, daughter of Leftfield founder Neil Barnes, inherited her father's skillful use of electronics, but otherwise forged her own path, which first led her toward territory close to the most experimental r'n'b ("Georgia", her debut album, came out in 2015), where broken beats and pulsing rhythms showed her desire to break free from her parental legacy and to make use of the collaborations she'd built up (including one with Kae Tempest). In terms of sonic exploration, Georgia's debut remains her most interesting work, but exploring wasn't enough for her: she wanted to dive straight into pop dynamics.

That's why her second album, "Seeking Thrills" from 2020, found her busy turning personal exploration into the universal ambition of getting the whole world dancing: its dance and synth-pop streak was brought to the fore by tracks like "About Work The Dancefloor", which made waves back home. Sophisticated stuff, even if we're in the realm of light music that leaves its mark on the body but little on the heart - escapism, precisely.

"With 'Seeking Thrills' I realized that escapism was, for me, a way of fleeing a world I was afraid of." This reflection kicks off the third shift in Georgia's career. If the world is falling apart, escapism alone won't cut it. What's needed is an injection of positivity, doubling down on something we're in danger of losing sight of: moments of joy. "Euphoric" (released in 2023 on Domino) takes on this responsibility. No small task, since musically it means making the sound even lighter, at the risk of it becoming weightless. Georgia rises to the challenge with her arsenal of synthesizers and drum machines, as well as her angelic voice. The album is pure pop distilled to its essence, made up of airy songs, some danceable, all united by the desire to convey the joy of being alive.

The opening track “It’s Euphoric” is an effective manifesto celebrating the euphoria of being in love, built on alluring basslines and a danceable but not frantic rhythm. We're in the territory of upbeat pop, more American than British in flavour. “Something You’ll Never Know” leans harder into the rhythm and bass, on a track that apes American stars in the vein of Britney Spears (the early years). Derivative but pleasant to listen to, with a lyrical nod to the search for mutual trust built on actually saying things out loud. “Mountain Song” stands out from the rest, driven by synths and sequencers as well as a dark, powerful chorus; played loud, it grabs you and holds up to repeat listens. We're closer to Pet Shop Boys territory than Leftfield, but the track pulls you in with the tension it manages to build.

“All Night” could pass for a track from Madonna's disco period (an unstated but clearly present guiding spirit), while “The Dream” cleverly reworks The Weeknd's synth-pop and steers it toward calmer waters, where the dream in question is making choices not driven by fear. The album closes with “So What”, a delicate slow number that spells out what sometimes robs us of joy: not knowing how to fix our mistakes, and thinking we have to be perfect.

In the end, we're left asking the same question: “so what?” On “Euphoric”, is it what's missing (experimentation, elaborate electronics) that matters more, or what's there (the message and the pop that carries it)? Ultimately it's a take-it-or-leave-it affair, depending on whether this kind of easy-listening pop is your thing.

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10/09/2023