1 day Ago By ClashMusic
Actress, model, mother, and sometime pop star Suki Waterhouse found her spirit animal when she learned of the Sparklemuffin , a razzle-dazzle, wildly coloured Spider who must perform to survive. Working tirelessly in one harsh industry after another from age sixteen, Waterhouse is clearly not one to be told where she can and can’t pour her creative impulses. A case in point is this sophomore effort, which sees the songwriter move on from the sweeping soft-pop of her 2022 debut and go full double album with all the genre-hopping this can entail.
Luckily, Waterhouse has dodged the first hurdle that befalls most double albums; it’s not a slog to get through. ‘..
.Sparklemuffin’ possesses a dynamic energy, with most tracks falling under the three-minute mark. However, the flip side is that many numbers feel pretty lightweight.
After the great opening two punch of ‘Gateway Drug’ and ‘Supersad,’ things are nearly derailed by the sonically-outdated ‘Blackout Drunk.’ It’s a shame, too, as Waterhouse’s lyrics lambasting a disappointing pisshead lover are relatable and fun. Album highlight ‘Faded’ quickly rights this ship.
An acoustically led charmer with swooning strings and a gorgeous chorus showcasing the singer’s upper range. It’s sweet, dreamy, and just a perfect little love song. Similarly, ‘My Fun’ captures the laid-back energy of a summer’s day as the artist spits sun-soaked imagery over a foot-tapping groove, whistles, and handclaps.
It’s a millennial Mungo Jerry number and is guaranteed to put a big dumb grin on even the sternest faces. — — ‘Model, Actress, Whatever’ returns to the anthemic huge pop of her debut and contains enough real-life weariness to hit the feels. Less convincing is the Swift-lite of ‘Lawsuit’ or the doomed Del Ray-esque romance ‘Helpless.
’ With producers Eli Hirsch, Jonathan Rado (Weyes Blood, FatherJohn Misty), Brad Cook (Bon Iver, War on Drugs), Greg Gonzalez (Cigarettes After Sex), Rick Nowels (James Blake, Lana del Rey), and more involved with the project it does feel like a ‘too many cooks’ situation, the album jumping from laid back folk indie fare to huge stadium worthy pop numbers. Plenty of double albums can yo-yo from style to style, but they contain a unifying spirit or concept to hold things together – not the case here. With ‘.
..Sparklemuffin’, Waterhouse reinforces her skill as a lyricist while proudly displaying her influences on her sleeve.
It’s an album that glosses over its faults by never staying still too long. It’s the LP equivalent of a 30-somethings playlist: a little electro-pop here, some folk there, and all the varied charm of a morning with Radio 6 Music. Maybe next time, Waterhouse will gravitate toward one main collaborator and tone, but for now, there are plenty of great moments to pick out of a project that’s too jam-packed for its own good.
6/10 Words: Sam Walker-Smart —.
