Angie McMahon ‘Salt’ – Album Review

July 26, 2019

Angie McMahon releases her highly anticipated debut album Salt today via AWAL Recordings, followed by a national tour throughout October including Wollongong’s Yours & Owls Festival.

The release follows a breakthrough 24 months for Angie, who was awarded the prestigious Grulke Prize for Developing Non-U.S. Act at SXSW this year (past honourees include Courtney Barnett and CHVRCHES) and has performed as special guest for The Pixies, Father John Misty, The Shins, Mumford & Sons and Alanis Morissette.

Salt – Album Review

REVIEWER – Ben Nicol

Angie McMahon’s debut album Salt will transport you away from wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re thinking, and you’ll barely register it happening. It’s soothing, it’s sombre, it’s empowering and holy shit is it really, really good.

The amount of emotion on display makes it an almost overwhelming listen, whether it’s your first time around or the fifth. There’s a lot to take in, so much so that it caused my 5-minute car drive to turn into 20 because I missed my turn off, and then the next one. Getting to hear McMahon belt out And I Am A Woman through loud car speakers made it worthwhile though.

Her breakout hits Slow Mover and Missing Me feature on this record but anyone who has seen her live already knows she’s got so much more up her sleeve. Her single Pasta was a fan favourite live well before it got released and has found a nice place here, slotted in between the slow burner that is Push and another staple of her live set, Standout.

I’m really glad Standout made the cut, there’s something very upbeat and engaging to McMahon’s guitar playing in this track and the groovy chord progression sounds so different to the rest of the album. They’ve done a great job of capturing its energy, with the accompanying band adding a lot of extra flavour to it.

There’s a shit-tonne of emotion locked away in each track and McMahon has no problem expressing it. The whistling melody that kicks off If You Call is beautifully melancholic, setting the tone for the rest of the song and then closing the record perfectly.

Salt narrows in on what makes McMahon standout: her vocals. They jump in all kinds of directions with very little accompaniment and never cease to demand your attention. Lyrically, she lays it all out there openly, leaving herself vulnerable with no wall of sound to hide behind. It’s not just admirable but also a clear indicator that the Melbourne artist didn’t hold back during the making of this album.

They aren’t songs I could listen to passively, and I get the feeling there’s a lot to be missed out on if you do, so allow yourself to be absorbed and you’ll be rewarded with an hour-long journey that you won’t want to end.

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Angie McMahon’s debut album ‘Salt’ is out on Now