‘Inland’: Melbourne rock icon Adalita explores torment and vulnerability in introspective third solo album
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Forte Magazine

MusicAlbums & Singles
02.12.2022

‘Inland’: Melbourne rock icon Adalita explores torment and vulnerability in introspective third solo album

Credit: Lisa Businovski
Words By Alex Callan

'Inland' sits solidly as the next step in Adalita’s impressive body of work.

There are a lot of artists out there who spend effort trying to convey a certain image; formidable Australian rock icon Adalita is not one of them.

If anything, the last 20 years have established Adalita as a songwriter dripping with individuality, with her nonchalant vocals and grungey riffs now serving as the benchmark of the noughties pub-rock sound. 

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Whilst her previous group Magic Dirt cut their teeth on the grunge sound of the 90s, with down-tuned riffs and droney distortions at the forefront of their sound, Adalita’s solo material differs, with her long-awaited third solo album Inland showing a more delicate and introspective side of the revered artist. 

This is pretty understandable considering that at its core Inland is a breakup album, with Adalita exploring the varying levels of torment and vulnerability that many are riddled with post-breakup over the course of the 10 tracks. 

Of the record and the process of its creation, Adalita says: “It’s been a really intense and enlightening few years of exploration into these universal themes of obsessive love, the inner void and reclaiming of the self.”

In a particularly baring moment, opener ‘Private Feeling’ sees the exploration of a romantic relationship with a younger partner, with the songwriter evocatively grounding herself in the realisation that “company is [her] liberty”. ‘Savage Heart’ on the other hand, ushers in feelings of despair, asking the now separated partner, “how could you leave me this way?”

‘Hit Me’ is a strikingly sparse and hypnotic composition, where tense restraint rules via uncluttered, softly driving guitars and Adalita’s charged and compelling vocal.  



They are stark confessions but ones delivered earnestly, with Inland highlighting bare and exposing glimpses into Adalita’s life; the tenderness of love and the empowering perception of oneself in the wake of heartache.

It’s been nine years since the release of the songwriter’s second solo album, All Day Venus, which cemented her place as a highly respected member of the Australian music industry. 
Grit and persistence saw her push through and deliver her finest accomplishment yet—a masterly work that demands to be heard. It’s an epic achievement that at one stage during the long production process she feared might never eventuate.
“I knew when I was writing the songs that they were BIG songs. But it didn’t become apparent until I was well into the recording that it was going to be a mammoth task and there were moments when I thought about giving up. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved. I also feel an immense sense of relief that it’s finally finished.”
Inland sits solidly as the next step in Adalita’s impressive body of work. Building on the guitar-driven pulse of her first two solo albums, you can hear echoes of her previous sound alongside bold new experiments in tempo and tone.

Label: Liberation Records via Mushroom Group

Release date: December 2

Recommended