Hannah Diamond – Picture Perfect
Hannah Diamond's second album is a reflection on our relationships with modern technology, and with each other
Best known for her releases via PC Music, Perfect Picture is the follow-up to Hannah Diamond's 2019 debut Reflections; her hyperpop style and dreamy synth melodies are a must for fans of CHVRCHES, Charli XCX and Purity Ring.
Diamond describes pop music as a “magical form of communication to me. It has the power to transform ephemeral things into tangible worlds.” On her latest release, she reflects on communication through modern technology and how it affects relationships with ourselves and others. Perfect Picture opens with the title track, repeating a glitchy melodic riff before layering a majestic punchy beat which transitions into Diamond’s sultry sweet vocals. As her audience interacts with her online and through digital images, she questions whether she can live up to such high expectations and if they can ‘see through the fantasy’. Released as a single, the music video is mesmerising; Diamond’s bubblegum pop aesthetic takes centre stage, with neon pink hair, a tutu and ballet pumps.
Throughout the album she wears her heart – 'a diamond, unbreakable' – on her sleeve, inviting listeners to get to know her better. On Want You to Know she assures us that 'beneath the layers there is simplicity'. Despite this, there's always an emotional distance created by screens and technology, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics: 'I touch my touch screen but you don’t touch me' and 'lost within the pixels of you'.
Listen to: Want You to Know, Impossible, Twisted