Tessa Violet’s second LP Bad Ideas is finally here. Five years on from the YouTube filmmaker turned musician’s last LP, Maybe Trapped, Mostly Troubled, and three years on from her EP Halloway, this new album is a further transition into slick pop beats, rather than the acoustic-driven confessionals on her first LP. Whilst the first song, ‘Prelude’ heavily features an acoustic guitar, it transitions into ‘Crush’, which is a highly relatable bubblegum-esc pop track. It was first released way back in June 2018 and acts as the lead single for this new project. She then went on to release other upbeat yet personal songs such as ‘Bad Ideas’, ‘I Like (The idea of) You’ and ‘Games’ over the past year. With these tracks she laid the foundation for the sonic cohesion of this record.

For me the highlights are ‘Crush’, ‘Words Ain’t Enough’ and ‘Bored’. I’ve loved ‘Crush’ since it came out a year and a half ago – it’s such a banger. The lyrics are really clever, and it includes these almost candid, non-lyrical comments throughout which really give the song its personality. ‘Words Ain’t Enough’ has been a fan favourite since a duet of the song was uploaded to fellow musician dodie’s channel in May 2017. It brings the tone back to her original acoustic sound and has heartbreakingly honest lyrics about a failing relationship. I think I’m drawn to it because of its juxtaposition with the other main tracks. ‘Bored’ was just really striking to me – it includes a discussion about mental health and her vocals are different to her fairly soft vocals on the other tracks. Whilst being upbeat, the combination of persuasion with acoustic strumming sets the production aside from the likes of ‘Games’ and ‘Crush’.

Violet has released a very fun, yet honest album, and it’s definitely one for those winter walks to uni or to cook to.