Ali Barter hides gold under sugar on Hello, I’m Doing My Best

Following a period of self-criticism and an apparent conviction to never write music again, it is lucky that she did change her mind. "Stuff started coming up and I couldn't push it down”, is how she describes her inclination, and it would prompt her to record and put an album together. On her second project she takes her love of the punchy yet poppy alt-rock trademark a good step further.

With her natural gift for a hook, each song on Hello, I’m Doing My Best is a bitter-sweet melodic pleasure. It has loud, snarly Weezer-indebted tracks like “History of Boys”. But the album also covers other sonic territory such as the darker, more melancholic “Are You Happy Now?” and the bitter, twisted statements represented on opening track “Lester” and the furious, uplifting energy of “Ur A Piece of Shit”. Clear anthems are also present in the shape of “Big Ones” and “Magoo”.

A remarkable singer, Barter’s vocal confidence and skill is handed a refreshing lease of life throughout, and there is no doubt it is the right course of action. Plenty of high-pitched notes are delivered, and a balance is achieved with some of the deeper vocal range of her voice. “January” is an obvious, irresistible winner on this respect.

In terms of themes, there is plenty of consistency, and Barter is able to make sure a healthy amount of ground is covered. With her natural gift for the observational and the tragicomic, she tackles previous relationships, sobriety and people she has known. Sounding quite girlie at times, it is a record full of self-assurance and side-tracked by a brave, impossible-to-find honesty and vulnerability. Similar records may well have been made in the past, but they don’t project the same heartfelt vibe as this one.

It is possible to be fooled by the compelling, sugary pop song layers that unfold on this record, but there is so much more going on underneath it all and therein lies some of the complexity and fascination.