Banoffee – Look At Us Now Dad
The debut album from Melbourne's Banoffee sees her reclaim a traumatic past through cathartic pop sounds
A cursory listen to Melbourne native Banoffee's debut album might leave you believing it's a polished pop collection that reaches for mainstream success. Yet dive in a bit deeper and its shimmering synths, snappy beats and catchy hooks belie the trauma that shadowed the creation of the album. Written after she moved to Los Angeles in the wake of a mental breakdown, Look At Us Now Dad is Banoffee's way of reclaiming her own narrative through cathartic pop.
No track better sums this up than the chirpy yet slightly wry This Is For Me, but it's a song that also illuminates the tension between the album's slick melodies and Banoffee's sentiments; it sometimes feels like the former dilutes the latter. Look At Us Now Dad is at its best when it treads further into experimental territory. The album features collaborations with the likes of SOPHIE and Empress Of, and the more left-field tendencies of these artists also rear their head here. With its tempo changes, bass-heavy pulses and a quick-fire verse from CupcakKe, Ripe shows off a more uninhibited side. Unfortunately, it can be frustrating that this isn’t emphasised more fully or frequently but still gives a glimpse into where Banoffee could ultimately head.
Listen to: Ripe