Pixey - Million Dollar Baby

After finding her footing through a trio of excellent EPs and testing the waters with a mini-LP, Liverpool's break-beat connoisseur Pixey achieves complete self-realisation on her debut album proper. She's already developed a deep and distinct artistic fingerprint at every opportunity, but here, her colourful personality flares up to fill every corner of her escapist soundscapes with declarative pop maximalism.

As the anthemic title-track hints, the record itself is a triumphant testament to the transformative journey the young creative has undergone these past few years. Deploying satire to comment on the nature of the music industry, Pixey uses vibrant pop hooks to explore the expectations for the trajectory of a modern artist: chase fame and lose yourself in illusion until it manifests. Instead, she can appreciate the simple freedom of expression that music offers without the need for expectation.

All ten tracks are soaked in that grateful tone, but some new sounds are pulled into this world; the psychedelic flurry of 'Damage' is truly refreshing, while 'Love Like Heaven' captures the potency of a bittersweet sunset in audio form. 'Bring Back The Beat' radiates rich instrumentals with blasting horns, subtle guitars, and string accompaniments brought to life with co-production from Jungle's Tom McFarland.

It's not all reaching for the stars, though; exposed, vulnerable moments feel even more special amongst such a thrilling collection of tunes. Despite maintaining a high tempo, 'Oxygen' takes on the subject of abusive relationships - here, it is twisted into a euphoric dispelling of trash. 'The Thrill Of It' reflects on the sickness that kickstarted it all and rediscovers that passion with relentless, supercharged synth lines.

'Million Dollar Baby' presents a delightful step up from a singer, songwriter, producer and performer who has flourished throughout every chapter of her unique career, and it is fulfilling to know that it is this path on which she has found such joy. It would be easy to hyper-fixate on curating a moment of perfection for a debut LP, but self-expression is divine enough for this talent. At every turn celebratory of the art that has come before and the chance to reinvent it, Pixey's steps forward will continue, ever future-facing, and this album is a love letter to that experience.