Pep

Arriving four years after her comic book-influenced , Canadian singer/songwriter , aka , returns with her most confident and hooky album to date, 2022's rousing . While the album is her fifth overall, it feels like a new beginning, being her first record for the label and her first (barring her instrumental projects) that she produced solely on her own. Furthermore, while electronic, synth-inflected pop is still at the core of , there's a palpable rock influence running through the album with playing guitar throughout. The record is a bold transformation from , yet one that builds nicely upon her past work and feels utterly organic. There's a feeling as if she's worked through some personal issues and come out happier and more self-aware. However, rather than focusing on any hard times, cuts like "Sparky" and the punky, reggae-ish "Salt and Vinegar" vibrate with dance club positivity and the sense that has rediscovered herself, both personally and artistically. She underlines this newfound sense of self-discovery on the sinuously hypnotic "Prodigal Daughter," singing "Now I'm making a living/Crashing the algorithm/Flip the pillow to the cool side/Love, magic, feminism/Finally found religion/Laying naked on the poolside." While ' assured creativity and warm vocals are the focus, she includes several guest collaborators, including drummer , who supplies his distinctively muscular groove for the anthemic "In My Head." She also joins forces with singer on the swaggering "Money in the Bag." With , has leveled up, delivering a potent, lyrically mature, and musically colorful production that balances her empowered feminism with a sleek, take-no-prisoners pop aesthetic. As she sings on "Prodigal Daughter," "Baby, I'm back." ~ Matt Collar