The new record from British artist Pixx came out earlier this summer, but it seems to become more relevant across the pond every day. It is titled The Age of Anxiety, but feels less like popping a Xanax and more like an impending technicolor panic attack. Pixx pushes pop music to the extreme, and it pays off in this well-crafted, repeat-worthy LP.
Two years ago, Pixx put out “Fall In,” an expansive as well as subdued debut EP. The Age of Anxiety capitalizes on her mastery of vocals and rhythm and builds up her wit atop drum machines. It creates a confusion amid controlled chaos, which is really just an aural representation of our present day. This was at least in some way intentional, with her label, 4AD, calling it a record about “a generation increasingly isolated by an unprecedented new world, from the pressures of social media to ever-changing political turbulence.” I find it appropriate as an American, though context for Pixx points the UK’s recent political disarray. Of course many themes, like technological worship in “Telescreen” or personal insecurities in “The Girls,” are universal; even (especially) “Everything is Weird in America” feels like a statement of fact and not remotely hyperbole. Every day things only get weirder…
Sawdust & Gin 