Album Review: Ali Barter - A Suitable Girl

With their honest, relatable lyrics and soaring choruses, each song on grunge/pop musician Ali Barter's debut album A Suitable Girl sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack of an angsty '90s teen flick.

The many elements of grunge and punk incorporated into the album make it easy to draw comparisons to the music of Hole, but with its pop sensibility and witty lyrics, A Suitable Girl shares more commonalities with much of Liz Phair's early music.

Uptempo highlights Cigarette, One Foot In and Far Away are equal parts catchy and cool, with singalong hooks delivered by Barter's soft voice - sweet, but laden with attitude - cutting through layers of over-driven guitars and crashing drums. The anthemic Girlie Bits, an expression of frustration at gender expectations, stands out with driving instrumentals under repetitive but clever and meaningful lyrics: "Give us a smile princess, it's better for business." Emotive Tokyo, Walk/Talk and Please Stay show a more vulnerable side to the Melbourne singer, exploring themes of loneliness and longing.

A Suitable Girl is a dynamic, fun and edgy debut that brings back some '90s riot grrrl vibes and takes the listener on an emotional journey.