Australian, London-based conceptual pop artist Ebony Buckle releases second album, Hearts Get Started.
By Graeme Smith
Though Hearts Get Started is her second album, Ebony likes to see it as a “prequel” to her debut Disco Lasers. Some of the songs that feature on the album are her older compositions, meaning they delve as much into her past as they do her present. Ebony describes the collection as a “puzzle” with each track its own piece making up a picture when put together.
The album opens in atmospheric fashion with the folksy, chanting intro of Fall Behind. It develops into a delicate, operatic number led by piano and Ebony’s inimitable vocals. As the track progresses, it gets more dramatic, drawing us headfirst into the album’s emotional journey.
Title track Hearts Get Started provides a lilting, uplifting highlight rich with storytelling before Golden Sand strips things back with a gentle number that’s full of bittersweet nostalgia. I Think I Just Saved My Own Life is a moody, bluesy moment. The Whisky Song rounds off the album’s first half with a driving, country-infused highlight.
The album’s second half gives us the cinematic Soph My Dear, the macabre The Monster, and the vaudevillian Russian Dolls. Run is a vibrant, lively, conspiratorial effort before things are closed by Jupiter Rising. It wraps up the album’s story with a simmering, reflective final chapter that ends powerfully with a crescendo that proves a final highlight.
I’ve made a fair effort, but to be honest, Hearts Get Started is a beautifully indescribable album. Its command of disparate genre makes it without parallel. Ebony’s ability to weave a tale with her lyrics and create an emotional tapestry with her vocals are second to none. It’s simply a must-listen record.
You can catch Ebony launch the album live at The Camden Club, London on Thursday 17 October 2024. Tickets are available here.
Hearts Get Started is out now and you can give it a listen below.