''*69'' ("star sixty-nine") is the second studio album by Chicago-based singer

Emily Blue Emily Blue (born Emily Caroline Otnes on June 28, 1994; ) is an American singer-songwriter of Norwegian descent. She has both a solo career is the lead singer of Champaign-based indie rock band Tara Terra. Born and raised in Urbana, Illinois, ...

. It was released independently by Blue in collaboration with Audiotree, originally on 8 August 2018 as an extended play, then re-issued on 27 March 2019 with four additional tracks as a full studio album. The album was produced by Max Perenchio (The Pelican Boy).

Background and production

Blue announced that she was writing material for an upcoming EP in March 2018, along with the release of the first single off the EP, "Cellophane". A few months after the EP's release, Blue added "Daddy" and three bonus tracks labeled as "voicemails" to the tracklist, making the EP her second full studio album.

Composition

''*69'' is a

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

album characterized by sharp electronic instruments and a mix of heavy glitch- and '80s pop-inspired sounds. Do312 defined the album, when it was still in production, as " ving far from her previous work", and "less traditional and more character-driven, painting a portrait of Blue as a fiery pop-songstress from another realm". Musically, the album marked a sharp turn in style for Blue, whose debut album ''Another Angry Woman'' was composed of soft indie pop tracks. Scapi Magazine defined ''*69'' as "a soundscape of vulnerability hatcuts deep, though you might not realize it at first". They also praised Blue's "avant-pop, experimental ambiance". J.R. Nelson of the

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a ...

described the style of the album as a "surprise" considering the genre of the singer's past releases, and praised *69 for its unique sound: "a few listens to Blue's radio-ready solo jams, such as Microscope and Falling in Love make it clear that she can translate her razor-sharp hooks into any musical language". Blue went on to win Chicago Reader's Best Pop Artist Award 2019 by virtue of ''*69s acclaim. ''*69'' co-songwriter and producer Max Perenchio passed away at the age of 33 on November 26, 2020. The album was his final studio album production during his lifetime. Emily Blue is set to release an album in honor of Perenchio, titled ''The Afterlove'', posthumously credited to him, having co-written and produced the album in the weeks prior to his death.

Critical reception

The album's success with music reviewers was key in Emily Blue winning the

Best Pop Artist Award in 2019. Wiwibloggs positively reviewed "Microscope" in their Wednesday Wishlist special in summer 2020.

Track listing

Adapted from Spotify and Discogs.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''*69''.

Musicians

– lead vocals, lyrics * Max Perenchio - lyrics (tracks 1–7, 9), production (tracks 1–7, 9) * Uuskhy (Joseph Meland) - lyrics (track 8), production (track 8)

Artwork

* Ross Feighery - photography

Others

* Christian Mulvany * Ryan Hadarah * John Garrison

Release history

* Original release (EP, 5 tracks): 8 August 2018 (on streaming platforms 10 August 2018) * Full release (LP, 9 tracks): 27 March 2019

References

{{Authority control 2018 albums