- Sydneysider brat popper extraordinaire Muki is already cementing her place as a strong contender in the electro pop realm with her debut EP It Won't Hurt. Full of girl power, bubblegum production and bouncing beats, Muki shows us from the get-go what she is all about.
The EP opens with snappy banger, Gold Oxygen, which boasts the sharp, bouncing production you see throughout the whole four track EP. From first listen, this track (and the whole EP really) is a little bit left field - it's not your regular, run of the mill pop, but instead is a fresh slice of musical pie with different seasoning to the norm.
Friends Don't Make Out is softer in comparison to the other tracks on the record, and also has more of a personal (yet still very immature) lyricisicm. The choppy phrasing combined with the glittery production and more melodic vocal line give this cut -despite that softness- a bit more of a punch than other tracks on the EP; it's the anthem we all needed at high school.
First single Sassaparilla is a definite highlight and the strongest track on the record. Bubblegum pop to the core - literally to the point of samples of popping bubblegum featuring throughout - this number really gives you a strong look at what Muki can do and what she is all about. Like cocaine cut with pink edible glitter it's devilishly addictive yet sickly sweet at the same time.
Final track on the record Player is a bit darker in tone - gone are the Mario Kart sound effects, and in their place are grungy electronic bass lines and powerful, forceful lyrics and melodies. Whilst this track is the least saccharine sweet of the bunch, it perhaps is the strongest at perpetuating the girl power vibes Muki aims for, which makes for an interesting listen. To the uneducated listener, this may just sound same same, but lyrically it takes her sweet outer coating and pushes it face down in the dirt, in favour of explicit language, spat out words and Japanese refrains.
Like the love child of J-Pop and the Spice Girls, Muki is here to deliver a good dose of girl power, wrapped up in an exploding box of shiny pink candy. Don't get on the wrong side of this gal, she might just put you into a sugar coma - or fight you to the death, who knows?
- Olivia Shoesmith.