Alison Wonderland is on the lips of everyone right now. This Australian is making news for just about everything, from her weird music video with McLovin’ to the fact that her album release party was at a friggin strip club. This year was already going to be big, even before the announcement of her debut album Run, as she announced that she would be playing Coachella in April, the shining jewel in her North American tour this spring. Still, her album is just one more fine talking point for this trap lord in the making, whose debut album dropped yesterday in Australia.
I gravitate towards people who are the total package: DJs, producers, and vocalists. If you do, then you’ll enjoy Run, as Wonderland sings on the majority of these tracks. Thankfully, she doesn’t take ANY pages from fellow countrywoman Iggy Azalea: there’s no incoherent rapping or lyrics about being a bad bitch who’s better than the boys. It would be so out of character for her music, especially for a genre like trap. Not all the tracks on Run could be technically classified as trap, but there are definitely a few that standout for their production value. “I Want U” has a dreamy intro that goes well with her falsetto signing before a much harder drop. There’s also “Naked” with Slumberjack, which provides great contrast against her voice as well.
“Games” is a personal favorite on the album, as it’s one of outlier, non-trap tracks. There’s also the hip-hop crossover “Carry On,” and “Already Gone,” featuring Brave and future bass wunderkind LIDO. Though an entire trap album is impressive given some of the genre’s limitations, it’s really tracks like these, the ones that venture outside the walls, that verify an artist. In this respect, Alison Wonderland proves her ability to diversify, that she’s not just a one-trick pony. She has talent, lots of talent. Overall, Run is a smart debut album, capable of casting a big enough net to grow Alison Wonderland’s fan base exponentially over the next few months.
Run is out now in Australia, and hits the US on April 7.
