Jazmin Bean - Traumatic Livelihood

A 21st Century internet sensation in the truest sense (read: six-figure counts of fans while a still-niche concern in most spaces), on this eventual full-length debut, Jazmin Bean presents less of the full-throttle, gnarled-riffs-and-horror imagery of their early outings, and more as a pure pop beacon. Like Charli XCX if she’d spent her ‘True Romance’ era in ‘90s Camden Market instead of sneaking into raves, ’Traumatic Livelihood’ plays with pop tropes before dropping a little unexpected twist here and there: the slacker rock chorus of the title track; the kitchen sink production of ‘You Know What You’ve Done’. Anyone who’d only listened to their early tracks may be a little shocked by just how slick it all is: Jazmin’s deliberate intonation often brings to mind Marina’s operatic side, for example, while the chord changes of ‘Terrified’ are right out of Pop 101. But rather than weaken their identity, the lyrical dissonance it causes - and, make no bones, this is a heart-on-sleeve album lyrically - only makes Jazmin’s words all the more stark. “Midlife crisis / Pervert, a virus,” begins the harrowing ‘Piggie’, while ‘Best Junkie You Adore’ describes squalor with intricate detail while Jazmin hops around a pretty vocal line. Between its big production and even bigger messages, it’s admittedly a lot - one wonders if without Jazmin having been so candid about their experiences to date, perhaps it would seem too much - but it’s an accomplished and immediate pop record that will surely find the underground superstar receiving greater name recognition.