Album Review: Adalita - All Day Venus

Whilst many pundits were floored by the sparsity on Magic Dirt siren Adalita Srsen's 2011 eponymous debut, it must be noted that her evolution has been in constant broiling motion ever since she screamed and squalled out of the pit of Geelong over two decades ago. The no-wave nihilism relaxed, pop machinations wormed their way in, pub-rock mantras sidled up beside them, personal barbs softened and bloomed. On second solo release All Day Venus, this amorphous shape-shifting continues, yet it's the confidence to embrace the various facets of her musical DNA when and where she sees fit – regardless of how it may look – that truly enamours here.

Kicking off with the distorted drudgery of the title track, the sonic heaviness hits us like a freefalling anvil: something we didn't realise we'd miss until Adalita forces it upon us. Her vocals soar above it all with defiance, and this steadfast trait permeates the record. Elsewhere there is the dark-ringed snarl of Annihilate Baby, the haunted stoicism of I Want Your Love and the heaving insistence of My Ego.

All Day Venus could do with an equilibrium of sparse tracks though, as songs tend to bleed into each other. The plaintive pounding drums are simplistic, as are the bottomless carnage of the riffs; yet when delivered with such purpose and a curled lip, the force is unstoppable. Melodicism is not left behind either, with tracks like Warm Like You offering bountiful hooks. It is here that Adalita feels truly at home, using the brutality of noise to cushion the blows of her personal demons.