Phebe Starr – Dirt Review

What does Phebe Starr sound like?

An electro-pop anthem collection created from the viewpoint of an indie artist.

The review of ‘Dirt’ by Phebe Starr

Australian musician Phebe Starr manages to position her music in the electropop genre with alternative edges to it. She brings beat beats, plenty of synths and massively catchy riffs and then she lays them on a bed of alternative rock elements. For her new album ‘Dirt’, Phebe takes her production towards the big bold sounds of the 1980s. It doesn’t sound cliche though. Think Royksopp’s ‘Junior’ and ‘Senior’ era with a disco rock twist and you’ll be in the right groove.

The album opens with the driving guitar pop of ‘1 Step 2 Step’. Thick basslines, punchy drums and crisp guitars and synths lay the foundations for a catchy radio hit in waiting. I’m reminded of an electronic musician called Module who perfected this style of guitar-tronica with his ‘Shatter’ soundtrack. This is similar in style and an extremely strong statement track to open with. ‘Lover’ feat Froyo is a slice of disco cheese heaven. The thin string synths skip around bold, tongues out blurted lyrics and playful choruses. The disco jazz of early Michael Jackson mixed with Royksopp is the vibe here. Phebe Starr isn’t afraid of genre-hopping with her 80s vocoder soul bop ‘New Face’. Slow, slinky and with enough filter effects to subdue Cher and Madonna, it’s a smooth interlude before switching gears to an electro-glitch outro.

Subdued, smokey and confident is how I’d describe ‘Brand New’. It’s an electro-acoustic pop track that lets Phebe lean into a mild country-tinged song. It exemplifies the hybrid alternative and electro-pop approach Starr takes with her music. Whilst it is understated throughout, it is a hidden gem. In stark contrast ‘Purple Crow’ is a percussive machine of noises and rave grinds like a darker-synthpop anthem. The song tries to avoid big anthemic chords and stands out for not following standard song structures in its short two-and-a-half-minute runtime. instead, the radio-friendly ‘Wet Dreams’ brings big chords, layered soothing vocals and a peppy chorus to a dark verse. Any pop song using orchestral hit samples for a main coda riff gets my vote. Phebe Starr’s ability to use lots of sounds and samples aligns her sound and diversity with Danish alt-pop songstress Oh Land. If you enjoy one, you’ll enjoy both.

This album, like Phebe Starr’s music beforehand, comes from a place of healing in an attempt to understand herself better. ‘Sleep Walking’ is possibly the best example of this lyrically and sonically. The jangle-pop is warmed with a synth undercurrent but the song sounds so bittersweet. As she sings “there is no easy way out of here”, the song oozes that feeling of slowing down from running away and turning to face your problems. It’s beautifully done and a standout track on the album. It runs into the synth string and richly layered vocal track ‘In My Reach’. Here Phebe becomes an entire choir with a superb use of vocal clouding to create a dreamy sound that Imogen Heap would be proud of. This moves into the piano pop of ‘Shape of You’ that taps into the slightly sweet side of Vanessa Carlton with cinematic clanging drums overpowering the softer piano and vocals. The album then closes out with ‘Blush’, a straight-up electro-pop banger.

The beauty of ‘Dirt’ is that it’s unabashedly a pop album but is clearly being designed by an indie artist. Phebe Starr is happy to shift octaves and launch big minor notes in her pop songs. She’ll use lots of vocal effects and filters to send a song slightly off its axis whilst its pop core remains intact. It is a clever album that brings someone like me, who is indie and alternative first and foremost, way further into the world of pop than I’m usually comfortable with. The songs are largely absolute earworm bangers too. ‘Dirt’ is one of my favourite Sophistipop albums of 2024 and Phebe Starr should be on regular radio and playlisting with over half the album immediately.

Recommended track: Sleep Walking

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