Olivia's World - Greedy & Gorgeous LP

In Olivia’s World full-length debut Greedy & gorgeous, pleasures multiply in a never-ending quest for beauty. A typical Libran, lead guitarist Alice Rezende navigates the unruly mazes of modern health discourse in search of perfect body-mind balance, excavating the internal and the external, dream states and reality, and what it means to be perceived along the way.

While Greedy & gorgeous fits snug into the greater Aussie scene–with clear nods, as Canberran music head Aaron Crowe puts it, to “dolewave pop”–, there’s no denying Olivia’s World’s ability to break the mold. Take the prickly, off-kilter opener Porcupine girl, where Rezende’s effortless play with phrasing and meter wrap vocal lines around a marching backing track. On centerpiece Empresário, the band oscillates between ticking, time-keeping verses and wailing instrumental breaks that read one part flyaway Dino Jr., another part Raincoats at their sharpest. Sourgum is a full-throttle one-take, while closer Beauty bar dials it back, finding Rezende questioning her place amid the hustle-bustle of girlboss professionalism. Clearly, the band still honours their life-long love of vintage twee, from Olympia to Hatfield, all the while charting through their own journey of self-discovery.

— Pat Pilch