Georgia’s irrepressible character has always shone through in her music. It’s this beaming shard of rave-infused light, spread across two hugely enjoyable studio albums. Since her sophomore ‘Seeking Thrills’ landed in 2020 she’s spread her wings, working in studios with everyone from Gorillaz to Shania Twain. A relocation followed, with Georgia settling in LA for a while, encountering new voices in the process.
‘Euphoric’ is fuelled by West Coast sunshine, aptly living up to its title across 10 fun, pop-saturated, and sometimes wistful songs. Co-produced by Rostam, it finds Georgia daring to express her pop ambitions, while forever remaining tethered to club culture. Cute opener ‘It’s Euphoric’ brims with hope, while ‘Give It Up For Love’ has an almost baggy-like sway.
‘Some Things You’ll Never Know’ is expertly pieced together, the dynamic synths pirouetting around Georgia’s vocal. Indeed, the songwriting has rarely been so fresh and fully formed in her oeuvre – she can pull at your heartstrings, but the music remains intricate, recontextualising club flavours in the process.
The majestic ‘Mountain Song’ soaks up the energy a little, before making way for album fulcrum ‘Live Like We’re Dancing (Part II)’. As an album it sits together very well, with Georgia tying together the loose ends in the process. ‘The Dream’ and its helter-skelter rhythms are tucked away neatly, before ‘All Night’ impresses with its subtle Daft Punk references and Millennial gloss.
The album explodes once more into vivid light with ‘Friends Will Never Let You Go’, Georgia’s voice at its most honest, and most endearing. Closing with ‘So What’, however, there’s a lingering feeling that ‘Euphoric’ is a little slight. A snappy 10 tracks, it revels in surface, allowing its dazzling melodic appeal to entertain, while the more expansive electronics of her opening work are dimmed down slightly. That said, ‘Euphoric’ sits as a colourful sideways step from a talent we’ve long since learned to cherish.
7/10
Words: Robin Murray
