- Music
- 03 Oct 16
Elusive singer suffers enervating case of trying too hard
Jillian Banks was assumed to be a Lana / Lorde rip-off when she materialised with her 2014 debut, Goddess. Her cause wasn’t helped by that record’s exhaustingly glossy production – a flaw which likewise bedevils its follow-up.
Somewhere within Altar a deeply interesting album is struggling to break free. Alas, flashes of inspiration are buried beneath a crowd-pleasing sheen that does Banks no favours. She’s best when waxing strident, as evidenced by recent singles ‘Gemini Feed’ and ‘Fuck With Myself’.
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But these sparks are obscured by an ocean of formula, which reaches its nadir on the Alicia Keys-esque ‘Judas’ and a tepid, flailing ‘Weaker Girl’. Banks may yet be a star – but she will flourish as an artist only if she is allowed to let her demons off the leash.