Hannah Diamond - Reflections Review

Hannah Diamond's long awaited debut album is PC Music, but it marks a very serious turning point in how the queen of this leftfield genre views her future career.

'Reflections' is a bizarre mix up between what we know is PC Music, the child like vocals, the bopping production and the silly, lullaby like lyricism, and Hannah's despair over an unsalvageable relationship.

The tracks are wide and varied, but the entire album ties together as a sort of post-breakup therapy session. Hannah sings not only about the relationship, but also about the aftermath and her emotions afterwards. 'Reflections' is, by its very nature an album of love songs and ballads, just with the familiar twist of a PC Music offering.

'True' is probably the albums best track, bubble gum production infused with the anguish of finding her partner with someone else. It's a great example of what to expect from the album. Don't assume theres no dancefloor ready tracks available though, 'Concrete Angel' for example, still has the same melancholic undertones, but wouldn't sound out of place at an early 2000s clubland rave (the track is in fact, a cover of a Trance hit by Gareth Emery). Risers help create a feeling of elevation with euphoric vocals not too dissimilar from Cascada. Thumping repetitive kick drums round the track off creating a definite Hannah Diamond Trance sound. 'The Ending' is a more commercially accesible dance ready track, clean production and lyrical repetition give off a summer house sort of vibe.

Frequent collaborator AG Cook teams up with Hannah for the production duties on the album, with help from Easyfun to create a clean and well produced album. A wide variety of genres are touched upon in the production and given the radical new take on PC Music this album is, the three of them have done well to adjust and accommodate Hannah's desires. This isn't PC music as we know it, it may be a new chapter in PC music, but then again it might be something all together different, it sounds like PC music in a haunted house and though a good thing, it may risk snubbing hardcore PC Music fans with its unfamiliar territory.

Lyrically and stylistically, it's clear that Hannah is looking to be taken more seriously as an artist. PC Music is satirical to some extent, poking fun at shoddy lyricism and over produced pop instrumentals, but Hannah has grown as an artist and as a person and wants to explore new options and this has helped to lead the album to the darker sound it has manifested as. I feel like Hannah is reluctant to push this too far though, she doesn't want to be seen as a sell out in an aesthetic she helped pioneer.

Fans of PC music will still find a few tracks that really carry the PC Music sound. Tracks such as 'Shy and 'Fade Away' are both tracks that remind me of an older Hannah Diamond sound, maybe in part because the latter was released in 2016. This isn't the only 'older' track on the album, 'Make Believe' makes an appearance as well.

Overall, the album is saved by AG Cook, Easyfun and Hannah's production skills, creating a varied album that balances the somewhat jarring concept of emotional trauma and deeper lyricism, with the bubblegum pop stylings of the PC Music genre. It's something the trio have managed to get spot on and between dancefloor boppers and more serious stripped back nursery rhyme-esque ballads, every listener is sure to find at least one track they rate. Hannah's desire to be taken more seriously shines through too and this is an avenue I think she needs to explore further in the future and although the same simple, almost predictable lyrics remain prominent, Hannah has made a conscious decision to be more lyrically complex. The album in its entirety will find it difficult to please most, perhaps too melancholic and somber for the PC Music fans, (even with a few earlier releases making an appearance) and perhaps too artificial and plastic to be taken seriously by the average listener. There is a track for everyone on this album, I just wonder if that one track is going to be worth listening to nine other tracks just to hear it. In many ways 'Reflections' is both in terms of style and lyrics, too broad an album for PC Music, and many of the albums strengths are also weaknesses in terms of accessibility, that is why I implore that Hannah goes down the rabbit hole and creates something entirely different for her next offering. I rate the album 5.6 out of 10

You can buy the album here