It’s one thing to craft a great song, but its another skill to create a cohesive album that takes a listener on a journey.

Here’s four recently released albums that we’ve been playing at OUTinPerth HQ, new records from Cry Club, Robyn, Flea and Courtney Barnett.

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Cry Club
High Voltage Anxiety
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Melbourne’s queer punk duo Cry Club have released their third album, and it’s a riot. The record is split into two acts, and after a short intro we launch into the energetic Retaliate, a song that will let you expel all your frustrations when played at full volume.

The title track is filled with maximum guitar, speedy beats, and the expressive vocals of Heather Riley. Believe retains the intensity but moves into a more melodic space, while Feel This Way asks the listener to consider what has led them to their current emotional state.

This, Forever closes off the first act with an instruction on how to escape apathy and move forward. It’s an uplifting plea for someone feeling low to focus on the fact that they won’t feel the same way forever.

The record’s flip side includes For Your Health, another tune filled with bold vocals and crushing guitars. Monster of the Week goes at full throttle, Buried! keeps the pedal to the metal, and Consequences takes things to a slightly slower place. Closing track Despite Everything is a slice of sweet indie pop that sounds like it would be right at home on the soundtrack to the next teen drama series.

Cry Club are a great live act, and fans will be chanting along to these songs the next time they hit the stage.

Robyn
Sexistential
★ ★ ★ ★

It’s been a really long wait for a new Robyn album; her previous release Honey arrived eight years ago. Over the last few months, fans have lapped up the four singles released ahead of the album, but these have just been the tip of the iceberg.

Really Real begins with electronic bleeps and blips over a solid beat as Robyn delivers an intense verse, but as soon as the chorus hits, we’re dropped into the pop sing‑along world that defines her signature sound. Evoking the feeling of your best night out ever, the lead single Dopamine takes us straight to the dance floor.

Third single Blow My Mind is slightly more relaxed but introduces a quirky sonic texture that feels like robots running a Japanese game show. That playful element carries into Sucker For Love, which blends unexpected sounds that edge into hyper‑pop.

Talk to Me and Sexistential, which fans have already embraced, are standout moments, but after that the remaining tracks begin to sound a little too similar. Still, if you love Robyn, you’ll absolutely get into this.

Courtney Barnett
Creature of Habit
★ ★ ★ ★ ½

On her fourth album, Courtney Barnett has made a sonic shift. She’s gotten loud, and while her conversational lyrics remain, it’s clear her relocation from Australia to the USA has had an effect.

The opening track Stay in Your Lane is pure rock, with a driving beat, big vocal, and crushing guitars. The chorus about choosing to stay in your lane and remain in the same place lets us know Barnett is switching it up.

Soon, though, we’re dropped into sunshine‑pop vibes with Wonder, while Site Unseen, a duet with Waxahatchee, is a rollicking tune that leans on country sounds. Intricate guitar work and a steady beat fill Mostly Patient as Barnett delivers a story about loneliness.

The rock experience returns for One Thing at a Time, as Barnett delivers her trademark sprawling lyrics and laconic vocal delivery. Mantis features music written alongside producer and former Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa, and it’s an uplifting jaunt.

Same is one of the most interesting songs, with an intense, tight beat and complex lyrics that lead into a chorus of pure indie pop, complete with keyboards and effects that sound like they were borrowed from a late‑70s Split Enz album.

Barnett signs off with the beautiful Another Beautiful Day, which is filled with indie‑rock guitars. It ends by descending into warm organs, bird sounds, rolling bass, and vocals lost in reverb and echo — the perfect closer to the album.

Courtney Barnett has recaptured our interest and kept the baby while throwing out the bathwater.

Flea
Honora
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Flea has been making music for decades as the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but now he’s released his first ever solo album. You might also be surprised to learn that the artist, born Michael Balzary, hails from Melbourne and is Australian by birth.

The album explores Flea’s love of jazz and features a mix of original songs, standards, and unexpected covers, taking in everything from Jimmy Webb to Frank Ocean and Funkadelic. The record sees Flea playing trumpet and providing vocals alongside his bass work.

After the short opener Golden Wingship, which serves as a brief warm‑up to ease us into this sonic world, we dive into a funky jazz landscape with A Plea. It’s filled with swirling brass and speedily plucked strings, and Flea’s vocal delivery leans more toward politically charged spoken‑word than classic crooner.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, who previously played with Flea in Atoms for Peace, provides vocals on the dreamy and psychedelic Traffic Lights. His mellow voice intertwines beautifully with trumpets and intricate beats.

Frailed is the album’s opus — a sprawling, nearly 11‑minute instrumental that moves through a variety of atmospheres. It begins with thin snare drums and a mellow melody before a casual trumpet line enters the mix. A morose violin shifts the piece into darker territory, while the final section brings guitar textures to the forefront. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers member John Frusciante makes a guest appearance on the track.

Morning Cry is filled with energy, while a cover of Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain is mesmerising. Nick Cave then steps in to provide vocals for a stirring take on the Jimmy Webb classic Wichita Lineman.

The Frank Ocean tune Thinkin Bout You appears as a romantic instrumental, potentially setting its place as a future classic, while the standard Willow Weep for Me arrives with an unexpected sci‑fi edge. The album closes with the original Free as I Want to Be, a tribal‑leaning track filled with bluesy rock bass and distorted guitar. It’s an album of great beauty that embraces a wide range of sounds.