Artist: Amy Shark
Album: Love MonsterLabel: Wonderlick Internet
Album: Love MonsterLabel: Wonderlick Internet
Following worldwide praise of her 2016 single, “Adore,” Australian singer-songwriter Amy Shark released her first full-length album, Love Monster, this summer. While “Adore” allowed her to break out beyond her home country and reach an audience that has no borders, there’s no doubt that Love Monster will have the same effect.
Despite penning these songs over a timespan of a few years, the 14 tracks that made the cut maintain a certain consistency that deliver a unified theme and sound. It’s a roller coaster ride of falling in love (“Psycho” featuring blink-182’s Mark Hoppus), heartbreaks (“The Idiot”) and Shark’s personal experience in the music industry (“I Said Hi”). If this project were a television show, it would be a dramatic teen series like “Degrassi” or “Pretty Little Liars.”
If you were a fan of “Adore,” which went triple-platinum in Australia, this album will hold up to the expectations you may have. It’s raw storytelling with a backdrop of pop melodies and simple sounds. And although it’s a debut album, it certainly doesn’t come across that way. It’s delivered with a professionalism expected of those who have been in the industry much longer – which says a lot about the work of producers Mark Landon (Eminem, Madonna, Alison Wonderland), Jack Antonoff (Bleachers, fun.), Joel Little (Lorde, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons) and Mark Hoppus (Blink-182). And with a team like that, we’re sure Shark won’t be a one-hit wonder.
A word of advice: Don’t sleep on this artist. It’ll be worth checking her out before she starts collecting those breakthrough artist awards.