girlpuppy - Sweetness

On her second album 'Sweetness', girlpuppy (aka Becca Harvey) transforms relationship wreckage into glittering indie-pop that reshapes past heartaches. The Atlanta-based artist has evolved significantly since her folk-tinged debut. Where 'When I'm Alone' often found Harvey working in others' shadows, 'Sweetness' sees her fully claiming centre stage.

The transformation is immediately apparent on 'I Just Do!', which crashes in with 90s guitars and the kind of chorus that lodges in your brain like a happy memory. It's followed by 'Champ', a fuzzy declaration of independence wrapped in wry humour and defiant energy.

The album's middle section settles into a more contemplative gear, as Harvey excavates past relationships with surgical precision. 'In My Eyes' and 'Windows' are break-up songs that dodge cliché through careful attention to small details – the kind of specific memories that still sting years later.

There are moments where the energy dips a bit too far into mellowness, but just when things threaten to become too subdued, 'For You Two' arrives as a late-album highlight, building to the kind of anthemic crescendo that begs to be shouted back.

Harvey's greatest strength lies in her ability to make familiar feelings feel fresh through precise observation and smart, self-aware writing. She's equally comfortable delivering cutting one-liners and vulnerable admissions, often in the same breath. 'Sweetness' isn't a perfect album, but its best moments suggest an artist coming into her own with both confidence and clarity.