Lisa Mitchell: From Australian Idol to something less plastic

It's been more than a decade since a 16-year-old Lisa Mitchell finished sixth on Australian Idol, but don't let that reference colour your opinion. By all accounts, she was an outlier on the show even then, and her third album exhibits a writer that has undoubtedly found her sound – and it's not manufactured pop.

Mitchell's folky, breathy vocals evoke Lisa Hannigan on more than one occasion and her songs are often comparable, too, as heard on strummed closer Love, Death X. Elsewhere, The Boys is a peppy folktronica number, the brooding title track's late-night shimmer sounds like Lorde-does-spectral-indie, while So Wild tempers the lightheartedness with a Bat for Lashes-style opaqueness.

There are troughs to counter its melodic peaks, but overall it’s a collection that gets better with every listen.

[ thelisamitchell.com ]