release date: Feb. 12, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Lachlan Mitchell
label: Dine Alone Records - nationality: Australia
Track highlights: 2. "My Love Is My Disease" - 4. "Unnatural" - 7. "Pleasure Drive"
3rd full-length studio album by Australian band The Jezabels is a slight turn towards a more dreampop and art pop universe with less focus on indie pop as they were labeled with The Brink from 2014. Actually, it's closer to the style of the 2011 debut The Prisoner, which is a bit of a shame. I really liked their initial eps being all more rock-shaped than the debut, and thus: this one too. But Synthia is clearly better than the debut, as it's better produced and generally has a higher standard of quality to it. Only, I think it lacks great songs.
Despite reaching number #4 on the national album charts list - two positions lower than the band's first two albums - the album has generated more than mere positive reviews. Both allmusic.com and Sputnikmusic see this as the band's best, British The Guardian calls it 'an opus' - in fact only the Australian edition of Rolling Stone hands it 3,5 / 5 stars.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, SputnikMusic 4,5 / 5, The Guardian 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
