Review Summary: Know that I look sweet, but I bite, baby
Establishing any sort of separation from the rest of the modern pop scene is no simple task, even for a seasoned musician. Kayleigh O'Connor, the Nova-Scotia born singer-songwriter whose sound is all at once dreamy, dramatic, and nostalgic, finds herself making headway on her very first try. It’s not that O’Conner - better known as Baby Nova - has formulated an earth-shattering reinvention. In fact, listeners may immediately identify her vocals and hypnotic backdrop as Lana Del Rey adjacent, while the oft-sexually charged lyrical content feels like it was written to make Sabrina Carpenter blush. Indeed, there are brushstrokes of various popular artists present here, but the fact that
Shhugar still feels like its own definitive statement illustrates how O’Connor is able to harness the energy of her surrounding influences and sculpt it into something fresh.
From the opening track, ‘Cutting Up Peaches’, there’s a clear juxtaposition of ideas that land as oddly satisfying: cascading pianos set the scene for acerbic and spiteful lyrics, delivered across soft-spoken, almost ASMR-styled verses. The song is barely over a minute in length, but the interlude serves its purpose in announcing Baby Nova as someone unafraid to go against the grain both stylistically and lyrically.
Shhugar unfurls into a sonically diverse and lyrically divisive album across its runtime, often blending sexual and mock-religious lyrics in a way that is angrier and noticeably more highbrow than her contemporaries. O’Conner’s wry delivery hints at depth behind her words which can be felt much better than they can be read.
The songs here cover a vast range of styles, whether it’s the dream-pop of ‘Death Wish’ and ‘Great White Sharks’, the upbeat country of ‘Broke Bitch Boogie’ and ‘Jesus, Close Your Eyes’, or the almost doo-wop feel of ‘Wonder Bread Winner’. Sometimes, the sheer power of hearing O’Conner’s magnificent voice layered in beautiful harmony is enough - as it certainly is on ‘Hot Honey’.
Shhugar may be at its best, however, when O’Conner leans into her Americana influences, like she does on the mesmerizing ‘Do You Like That, Baby?’, which seemingly evokes Ethel Cain's 'Fuck Me Eyes'. Again, there’s nothing on
Shhugar that marks a brand new chapter for pop - but it doesn’t have to in order to launch Baby Nova into its own unique and intriguing space. Her debut is an addicting blend of some of the most enjoyable styles put forth by mainstream artists in the 2020s, with some unprecedented sonic breadth that makes the experience feel like it’s careening; on the brink of blazing a new trail at any given moment. Who knows, maybe that’s what we will get from Baby Nova next. Until then,
Shhugar is several cuts above your average pop outing and a bandwagon well worth jumping on early.
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