''Wrestling'' is the debut album by English-Australian singer and producer

Kučka Laura Jane Lowther, known professionally as Kučka (stylised in all caps; pronounced ; Serbo-Croatian for "bitch"), is an English-born Australian singer and producer. Lowther is known for her solo works, in addition to her collaborations with ...

. It was released on 30 April 2021 via LuckyMe and Soothsayer. It was preceded by the release of singles "Drowning" and "Real" in 2019, "Contemplation", and "Ascension" in 2020, and "No Good for Me" and "Eternity" in 2021. The album cover and the singles' music videos were shot and directed by Kučka's wife and creative director, Dillon Howl. The album features co-production from Australian musician and longtime collaborator

Flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to tr ...

, British producer

Vegyn Joe Thornalley, known professionally as Vegyn, is a British music producer, DJ and graphic designer. He is known for his production work on Frank Ocean's ''Blonde'' and ''Endless''. In 2019, he released a 90-minute mixtape titled ''Text While D ...

, American producer

Nosaj Thing Jason W. Chung (born January 27, 1985), better known as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. He has produced tracks for Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Kid Cudi, Julianna Barwick, and i ...

, and UK duo Exmoor Emperor. At the

AIR Awards of 2022 The 2022 AIR Awards is the sixteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards). It took place on 4 August 2022 in Adelaide. The nominations were revealed on 18 May 2022 wi ...

, the album was nominated for Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP.

Background

Kučka signed to British label LuckyMe in 2017, after issuing previous releases via

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Australian labels. Initially, the plan was to release ''Wrestling'' by the end of 2020, but it was pushed back to 2021 for unstated reasons. Kučka states that she had to say no to multiple collaborations, including one with South Korean boy band

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

, in order to finish work on the record. In an interview with ''Queued'' in March 2020, Kučka shared details on the track "Eternity", which the interviewer described as "her most meaningful song to date". She wrote the song three weeks before meeting her wife, Dillon Howl: On 2 April, Kučka shared a free download link to "Joyride" on her website, accessible by pre-saving the album.

Reception

Mathias Pageau of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' said ''Wrestling'' "might soon cement her pop star status" and praised Kučka for "again and again prov ngher talent for complex hooks and catchy melodies". Leigh Hill of ''OUTinPerth'' praised the album for her voice and futuristic sound. They also called her album "the result of a tough but fruitful transition in her life, spanning love, conflict, sexuality and maturity".

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Kučka, except where noted.

Release history

References

Notes

External links

* {{Discogs release, 18530092, Wrestling 2021 debut albums Kučka albums Albums produced by Flume (musician) Albums produced by Kučka Albums produced by Nosaj Thing Albums produced by Vegyn