It’s best not to linger on past disappointments, but The Jezabels’ second record The Brink was one.It was hard, trying to feel adoration when there was nothing to warrant it. With Synthia, however,you don’t need to force anything. Itis the lived potential of The Brink, bringing a denser sound and greater stylistic clarity.
The record’s movements are precise and cinematic. Languorous opener Stand and Deliver shifts between theatrical murmurs before diving into the tumbling energy of My Love Is A Disease. On the other side, final track Stamina begins soft and sweet, before commencing a rolling build that savours Synthia’sfinal moments.
A welcome return is Nik Kaloper’s dynamic drumming, sorely underused in the temperate climate of The Brink. His beats curve around the body of the music, feeling like their own living entity. Another exciting revival is the blatant feminism of Hayley Mary’s lyrics; more frank than ever before. Smile rings like the melodic response many women wish they could send back to “cheer-up-sweetheart” comments: “You know I got my problems just like everybody else does / And I might not look as whoopty fucking doo as you might like it”.
The band haven’t held back on the dramatic crescendos, composed of swathes of Heather Shannon’s synths and plenty of strange new noises. The eerie clicks and bass pulses of My Love Is A Disease undercut the brighter body of the song, whilst the smouldering A Message From My Mothers Passed begins with background sounds of a playground. Spoken word segments from Mary are also littered throughout the record. These various touches inject darkness into the record, which buffers against its shinier moments. Lead single Come Alive and the chugging, sensual If Ya Want Me both represent these contrasting aspects blending together for intriguing results.
The Jezabels have wholly and completely returned with Synthia. There’s crashing pop ballads, the acrobatic wails of Mary, and the emphatic sense of pain, love, anger and all colours in between. It’s all here and it’s rather beautiful.
BY ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES
