Music Review: Troye Sivan, Blue Neighbourhood

Brooding, understated electro-pop from a 20-year-old South African-born Australian YouTube sensation ... Troye Sivan's debut album, much like Lorde's, paints achingly honest pictures of teen life.

There's a simplicity in his message - most tracks have a single-word title.

Lead single Wild is a song of yearning - you can hear the pain and joy of being in love in Sivan's voice: "There's still too long to the weekend, too long till I drown in your hands ... never knew loving could hurt this good".

Much of Blue Neighbourhood follows a similar format musically and lyrically, but it's a good formula and the album doesn't suffer for it.

Fools marries dreaming with the mundane: "I see swimming pools and living rooms and aeroplanes ... quiet nights poured over ice and Tanqueray ... your obsession with the little things, you like stick, and I like aerosol".

Kiwi duo Broods appear on Ease and are a perfect match for Sivan's style, while chanting backing vocals on other tracks including Youth add to the atmosphere.

It's an album in which you can get lost in the beauty - this Blue Neighbourhood is worth a visit.

4/5 stars

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