Georgia, ‘Euphoric’ review: the perfect soundtrack to lead us back to the dancefloor
On her third album, Georgia continues to evolve and delivers the sound of joyful nights out.
When Georgia released her second album Seeking Thrills in January 2020, she offered up a defining siren call to the dance floor — only for communal jubilation to become an impossibility shortly afterwards.
The record channelled the hedonistic energy of the Londoner’s killer live performances into a set of slick, nostalgia-indebted, synth-pop tunes, offering a joyful alternative take on modern dance music.
Three years later, Euphoric fills in the rest of the night and celebrates the fact that we can flock to the dancefloor once more. It’s the perfect soundtrack devoted to the small joys of pre-drinking with pals, hidden glances and brushing arms with a new partner, and walking home as the birds begin to sing.
Having created her first two records largely solo, there is added star power on this record. A chance DM from in-demand producer and Vampire Weekend founding member Rostam led to the duo working together on Euphoric. His lush sounds are evident throughout, on the lithe synths for ‘Give It Up For Love’, or the earworm hook of ‘Mountain Song’, adding an element of earthy grounding to the clubby sounds.
Georgia’s distinctive songwriting and powerful vocals which drew in fans on Seeking Thrills remain too, just drenched in kaleidoscopic new sonics. The lilting lead single ‘It’s Euphoric’, a paean to the rush of new lust and love, spins the hook over subtle production that’s part Screamadelica, part Balearic club classic. ‘All Night’ opens with woozy Daft Punk-flecked vocals, and ‘Give It Up For Love’ perhaps unsurprisingly evokes ‘Ray of Light’-era Madonna, given that it features producer William Orbit who worked on that record.
Euphoric is a record that feels deeply: on the dizzying ‘Friends Will Never Let You Go’, Georgia affirms: “I finally let go / Now it’s coming home / Finally I’ve accepted what I can be”, the spiralling, heart-lifting instrumentals mimicking her lyrics. A line about giving into love maybe, but if this is Georgia letting go, then the idea of release sounds pretty damn good.