Chloe Moriondo packs a plethora of pop culture references, sonic flourishes, and bubbly bite into SUCKERPUNCH

Immediately, we’re introduced to the new, bigger, brasher version of Moriondo, who has eschewed the poppier, sweeter side of last album BLOOD BUNNY. It’s all systems go into hyperspace, maintaining the horror-tinged atmosphere-building, with renewed confidence.

Though there are still elements of melting sweetness, Moriondo has brought them into their new era with ease. “Fruity” is a ball of melodic fun, but teases enough synth flourishes and glitchy moments that it doesn’t feel out of place on a record comprised mostly of flickering electro-pop of a darker sound. Similarly, “Celebrity” wouldn’t feel out of place on Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, and it’s a delight. But it’s a meta delve into the voyeurism of celebrity culture, and not all as sweet as it seems on the surface.

Moriondo deftly moves between characters and ideas, whether it’s a sauntering, spitting Barbie on “DRESS UP”, rage-fuelled force of nature on vengeance-fantasy “Hell Hounds”, which sees Moriondo’s scarily bright vocals grated up against barking and metallic textures for its ferocious 2-minute runtime. They’ve always been able to slip through concepts and guises effortlessly - the subtle world-building at the core of BLOOD BUNNY is very much alive on SUCKERPUNCH, but Moriondo feels even freer to push the bounds of their creative embodiments even further.

SUCKERPUNCH is a distinctly two-sided record – the abrasive, bolshy hyperpop side, which sees Moriondo soar to some of their fiercest heights, and the moments where they pause and swing back around to teach a quick masterclass in bedroom pop gold. Though both ends of the spectrum are done well, sometimes they feel a little disconnected – SUCKERPUNCH sees Moriondo in dialogue with all sorts of characters and musical methods, hitting peak creative heights, but sometimes lacks dialogue between its component parts. Moriondo’s vision, when it’s clear, is brilliant and radiates throughout the record, but sometimes in the jumps between moods can get a little hazy.