Miss Anthropocene Review

After teasing the album for almost an entire year (which I think is ridiculous), Grimes finally released her long-awaited followup to 2015 art-pop behemoth Art Angels in the form of her new LP, Miss Anthropocene. The title is in my book a winner, being a pun on misanthropy and the anthropecene era, which naturally we are currently living through.

With the album having been in the works for so long, I had already listened to all of the singles quite a bit, and being 5 in number they contribute 50% of the total songs on the record (6/11 if you have the Japanese edition bonus track).

Overall, Miss Anthropocene feels like a natural evolution of Grimes' style, forging into new territory while retaining all the quintessential trademarks of her music. The vast ambient soundscapes are difficult to liken to anything else I’ve heard - imagine if Aphex Twin were a post metal band, and you’ll be in the right ballpark. Her signature soprano vocals are mellifluous over the top of the rich layers beneath, and her songwriting and lyricism is, as always, far superior to most other pop artists. The only thing I really don’t like about it is the introduction to the final track, ‘IDORU’, which sounds so much like a car alarm that I refuse to accept that it could be anything else.

Other than that the album is solid, and has already earned several repeat listens, although it’s doubtful to be a contender for my album of the year. 7.5/10 - now to wait and see what the baby is going to be called.