Music Review: King Princess scoffs at heartbreak on ‘Girl Violence’
LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 It鈥檚 impossible to hear King Princess groan 鈥淚鈥檓 a loser鈥 on their ambitious third album and not think of Beck singing the same line in his canonical slacker anthem released more than three decades ago.
LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 It鈥檚 impossible to hear King Princess groan 鈥淚鈥檓 a loser鈥 on their ambitious third album and not think of Beck singing the same line in his canonical slacker anthem released more than three decades ago.
Although 鈥淎lone Again鈥 is more of an angsty breakup song than an ode to sloth, the evocation of Beck鈥檚 鈥淟oser鈥 is fitting for the 26-year-old born Mikaela Straus. In both Straus鈥 guitar-driven pop music and her public persona, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist exemplifies an offhanded irreverence that artists who aren鈥檛 men rarely afford.
Unlike their previous album, 鈥淗old On Baby,鈥 which veered into a solemnity so full of ballads that it sometimes felt in conflict with Straus鈥 playfulness and snark, 鈥淕irl Violence鈥 is a return to form. (Her 2018 debut EP, 鈥淢ake My Bed,鈥 artfully balances sincerity with sass.)
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鈥淚鈥檓 sorry my love / You鈥檙e (expletive) insane,鈥 she sneers on the album鈥檚 ambient opening title track.
In 鈥淛aime,鈥 Straus seeks to play coy and appear unflappable toward the object of her desire. That concerted effort eventually belies a desperation.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e just a fly in my glass,鈥 Straus sings coolly at the beginning of the track. But by the end, they surrender 鈥 accompanied by a cacophony of shoegaze-y synths, guitars, percussion and a Mellotron. 鈥淚鈥檝e been secretly wishing you鈥檇 date me / Despite all the times you were wack / If you told me I鈥檓 cool, I鈥檇 collapse.鈥
That sonic and lyrical contrast exists throughout 鈥淕irl Violence.鈥 Scoffs mask tears. Tenderness glistens beneath declarations of violence. 鈥淵ou prep my despair / You know I like it,鈥 she croons on 鈥淕irls,鈥 a torch song about self-destructive queer lust. Sultry instrumentation and doo-wop-esque background vocals evoke both melancholic longing and excitement.
Even as Straus sings about heartbreak and insecurity, the album remains mostly tonally upbeat. 鈥淓verybody wants me / Just ask your man, babe,鈥 she taunts on 鈥淐ry Cry Cry鈥 over punchy drums and her warm electric guitar.
However, a couple songs struggle to find their place on this record. 鈥淥rigin Story鈥 and 鈥淪ay What You Will鈥 come to mind. Those moments would have fit better on Straus鈥 mostly moody, midtempo first album.
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By large, that Straus is a bona fide rock star is more apparent when she plays live than on their restrained recorded pop songs. But she occasionally shows off her virtuosic skill on her records, like with the crunchy guitar solo at the end of the otherwise laid back 鈥淚 Feel Pretty.鈥
That oscillation 鈥 between gritty and pretty 鈥 is a defining theme of 鈥淕irl Violence.鈥
Three and a half stars out of five.
On repeat: 鈥淕et Your Heart Broken鈥
Skip it: 鈥淥rigin Story鈥
For fans of: Maggie Rogers, St. Vincent, dirtbag feminism, with Christine Baranski
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