Album Review: Kate Miller-Heidke - Child In Reverse

It has been a long time since Kate Miller-Heidke released an album, but she has involved herself in diverse projects that range from pulling together the Muriel’s Wedding musical score to featuring in the soap opera of the ABC’s The Divorce. Miller-Heidke also dropped that especially unforgettable performance representing Australia at last year’s Eurovision from high up on top of a bendy pole.

Child In Reverse delivers eleven nuggets of finely crafted pop tunes that are soft, dreamy and impossibly silky smooth whilst moving to compulsive grooves. Lyrically, Miller-Heidke is in an introspective mood, dealing with difficult haunting memories, disappointment and the hurt of a broken heart. The struggle is real but a light touch, with airy synths and sweet pop hooks complete with the cheeky little operatic trills Miller-Heidke likes to slip in here and there, prevents this line of thought from getting completely depressing. This approach manoeuvres the album to a place where Miller-Heidke and listeners can find inner strength rather than defeat. Songs like You Can't Hurt Me Anymore and Child Of Divorce exemplify this approach. However, it is the obvious singles like Deluded and Simpatico (the latter of which features Mallrat) that are bound to command the most attention.

Child In Reverse is adult pop music which, presented in fresh feelgood tones, runs very deep.