BENEE - Ur An Angel I'm Just Particles

BENEE's second album, 'Ur An Angel I'm Just Particles', finds the New Zealand alt-pop star refining her style. The songs are witty and self-aware, full of the charm that made her debut so likeable, but the edges are softer, the mood a little more restrained.

Opener 'Demons' hints at the shift: a glossier, more grown-up take on BENEE's sound, with touches of Y2K pop gloss. 'Cinnamon' is classic BENEE - that dry, understated delivery, half-sarcastic and half-sincere ("Not asking much, to be adored") - while 'Vegas' and 'Off The Rails' lean into her offbeat sense of humour, capturing impulsive romance and post-adolescent chaos with a wink.

Her lyrical bite is still intact. 'Sad Boiii' and 'Chainmail' both pick apart bad relationships with a mix of eye-roll and empathy ("You can't hurt me ’cos my skin is made of chainmail"), while 'Underwater' dives into self-doubt and anxiety with a clarity that cuts through the shimmer. By the time closer 'Heaven' arrives - a quietly aching reflection on time slipping away - BENEE sounds both older and more at peace with herself.

If 'Hey u x' felt like a spontaneous experiment in pop personality, 'Ur An Angel I'm Just Particles' is its more deliberate sequel: tidy, confident, occasionally too polite for its own good. There might not be a 'Supalonely'-sized moment here, but BENEE's knack for mixing melancholy with mischief remains her greatest strength; she's still one of pop's most relatable oddballs.