''Child in Reverse'' is the fifth studio album by Australian singer-songwriter
Kate Miller-Heidke
Kate Melina Miller-Heidke (; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the ...
. The album was announced on 6 August 2020 and released on 30 October 2020.
''Child in Reverse'' is Miller-Heidke's first studio album in six years, following on from 2014's ''
O Vertigo!''.
It has been described by her team as "her most pop album yet".
At the
2021 ARIA Music Awards, Tony Espie was nominated for
Engineer of the Year for work on this album.
A deluxe edition was released on 18 March 2022.
Background
The album was recorded in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, produced by Evan Klar and features 11 songs about love and fear, memory and empathy, rage and redemption.
Miller-Heidke said "What I love about Evan's style is his freshness, a feeling of spontaneity. Musically the whole album came together really smoothly. I think that comes across when you listen to it."
Despite her achievements in opera, musical theatre and screen production in recent years, Miller-Heidke said she keeps "..getting drawn back to pop music".
Miller-Heidke said "The minimalism, the economy... I find that incredibly rewarding and challenging. It's like a quest to nail the perfect pop song. When it can be done, for me, as a listener, it's my favourite music."
Reception
Guido Farnell from ''The Music AU'' said "''Child in Reverse'' delivers eleven nuggets of finely crafted pop tunes that are soft, dreamy and impossibly silky smooth whilst moving to compulsive grooves." Farnell commented on Miller-Heidke's lyrics saying "
heis in an introspective mood, dealing with difficult haunting memories, disappointment and the hurt of a broken heart" adding "the struggle is real but a light touch, with airy synths and sweet pop hooks complete with the cheeky little operatic trills Miller-Heidke likes to slip in here and there, prevents this line of thought from getting completely depressing. This approach manoeuvres the album to a place where Miller-Heidke and listeners can find inner strength rather than defeat". Farrell concluded saying the album "is adult pop music which, presented in fresh feel good tones, runs very deep."
ABC said "Miller-Heidke once again gives us appealing, boundary-pushing pop music that is always refreshing, often emotional, and as thought-provoking as you want it to be" calling the album "Refreshing, poignant and playful art-pop".
Track listing
Charts
References
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2020 albums
EMI Records albums
Kate Miller-Heidke albums