Album Review: Natalie Imbruglia – Algorithm
2 min readActress, model, and singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia has done it all, and has the awards to show for it. Her debut smash hit single Torn launched her career into the stratosphere, but beyond that she has acted in films like Johnny English, modelled for top brands, and been a longstanding ambassador for Virgin Unite. This year, she has returned to music for her eighth studio album Algorithm.
The album kicks off with Debbie, a song that Natalie has said is a message to herself to not be a ‘debbie downer’. Its opening harmony and low-key rhythm are melancholic but hint at the more uplifting chorus. The backing vocals that close the track feel like an homage to The Eurythmics, while the melody in Upside Down feels more like a nod to more contemporary indie bands like Last Dinosaurs. It’s airy and driving. The title track’s forty-second interlude creates a level of tension that is expelled when the panned backing vocals of the main track begin. The song itself is a glitchy electronic number that coasts along on a wave of gritty synths and a gently pushing beat.
Sounds Like It Feels is a euphoric pop track that shimmers with bright soundscapes and excellent vocal arrangement, while Jesus On Mars has a gritty, mid-2010s kookiness a la Robbie Williams’ Rudebox. Who Dimmed the Lights is the albums first mid-tempo ballad, complete with a gorgeous string arrangement and harmony post chorus that feels genuinely heartfelt. Endgame is another indie-adjacent, guitar driven track, while Just Drive brings the album back to synth-pop in a dramatic way. The closer Beautiful Love is in the same vein, with arpeggiated synths and a building verse that bursts into an anthemic chorus. It’s a lovely song, and a perfect ending.
Algorithm is the culmination of an artist comfortable in their sound working with likeminded collaborators. It has a consistent pop aesthetic, leaning neither too far forward nor too far back, meaning that it sits in an almost timeless state. There’s an honesty and self-awareness to the lyricism on here too, especially on songs like Debbie and Who Dimmed the Lights, which is refreshing. It’s definitely worth a listen.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
