''The Answer Is Always Yes'' is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter

Alex Lahey Alexandra Lahey ( ) (born 30 July 1992) is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her debut album, ''I Love You Like a Brother'' was released on 6 October 2017 and peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Albums Cha ...

. It was released on 19 May 2023 via

Liberation Music Liberation Music is an Australian record company and label, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello, based in Melbourne. Its stated aim is to find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining inde ...

, and supported by a North American tour from May to June. It is Lahey's first record to feature external songwriters and co-producers, marking a stylistic departure from her first two albums. At the

2023 ARIA Music Awards The 2023 ARIA Music Awards are the 37th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2023 ARIA Awards, ARIA Artisan A ...

, the album was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

Production

Music publication ''

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'' found the album to have an

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outlook on life despite its lyricism focusing on some discomforting topics, with Taylor Mims writing "her positivity breaks through with fuzzy

guitar riffs A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...

, playful pop tunes, angsty

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tracks and her ever-present sense of humor". ''The Answer Is Always Yes'' is Alex Lahey's first album to feature external collaborators, whom the artist was originally reluctant to introduce, but upon reflection: "I was able to let them do their best work ... and that’s why it worked".

Release and promotion

On 1 September 2022,

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

"Congratulations" was issued alongside a

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and dates for a regional tour beginning in October 2022. Upon the release, Lahey explained she was "drawn to examine her past relationships, and reckon with the feeling she had when seeing her former partners move on". She also hinted that the single was "the first taste in a long-awaited new chapter". On 11 November, second single "Shit Talkin'" was released. The record was officially announced on 1 February 2023 following the premiere of third single, "Good Time", on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

. Following the release of the album, Lahey embarked on a 23-date North American tour, going from May to June. In August 2023, she commenced a nationwide Australian tour. On 21 September 2023, Lahey announced an expanded edition of ''The Answer Is Always Yes'', which released on 6 October. A new single, "Newsreader", was issued alongside the news.

Reception

John Amen of ''

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'' concluded the album had a "lighter palette" with "sonics relatively subdued, mixes less raucous" compared to her first two records. He concluded that "her melodies are consistently enrolling, and her lyrics ..are aptly accessible". Writing for ''

Beat Magazine ''Beat'' is a free monthly tabloid-sized music magazine (street press) published and distributed in Melbourne, Australia. It was Melbourne's longest running street press, and one of the earliest street press after TAGG. ''Beat'' paused its ...

'', Bryget Chrisfield said that ''The Answer Is Always Yes'' was an "ebullient and infinitely relatable" listen.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Answer Is Always Yes 2023 albums Alex Lahey albums Liberation Music albums