- Soaring pop aspirations meet slinky club rollers on the Australian producer's debut LP.
- On paper, Samantha Poulter's career trajectory seems pretty bread and butter for the TikTok era. After moving from her native Australia to Berlin, things picked up after Four Tet had a viral moment dropping one of her tracks at Coachella. It's easy to imagine where things go from here: Boiler Room appearances, festival bookings, press coverage and big ticket remixes. And, in all fairness, all of those things have happened for Poulter, whose sound—a mixture of UK garage, deep house and a bit of trance—hits the "Big-Room Sad" zeitgeist to a T.
But this narrative doesn't capture the complexity of Poulter's story. To start, she came to music much later than many of her peers. She was already 29 when she started releasing tunes, having spent most of her 20s doing everything from working as a florist to running a clothing store, all while learning how to navigate sobriety, depression, anxiety and a schizophrenia diagnosis. And even with her success, she's made sure to prioritise her health and family (she recently had a daughter). While "health" and "family" are bandied about in clubland, the terms are often about as meaningful as brunch plans made at 4 AM on the dance floor. Poulter, however, puts her money where her mouth is. She took ten months off touring last year to focus on therapy and recently launched dance music's most wholesome podcast, Therapy, with Heléna Star.
All of this sets the stage for her debut album, appropriately titled Mother. It's a record that balances the hardcore continuum with emotion as she turns out club tunes touched by vulnerability. Most of what is collected here is an extension of what Poulter does so well. Looking for a Bicep-worthy chord progression? Finish your set with "Oceanic." Need some grown folk sexy vibes? The luxurious garage house of "From Within" will set the mood. And, of course, there are plenty of lovestruck vocal samples and pensive melodies underpinned by warm, wobbling bass and breakbeats.
The record climaxes with what could be Poulter's first genuine crossover hit, "Every Lil." Here she channels her inner Sofia Kourtesis and teams up with longtime collaborator DJ Plead and Miami alternative reggaeton producer and vocalist MJ Nebreda. The three lay down competing hand drum lines triggered over a slow-burning melody and Nebreda's forlorn Spanish vocals. It's fragile and vulnerable, but it also slinks along with a sense of groove that would still work for a DJ looking to add a little steam and intimacy into the final moments of their set.
For all of its melancholic stargazing, Mother also has a darker side. Things aren't always as they seem on tracks like "Heartbeats." This tune is genuinely creepy, and even the warm slabs of bass can't wiggle their way out of impending doom as the minor chords and hand drums bide their time waiting to strike. "Can't Let It Go" starts with the usual trappings of feel-good garage house, but after a vinyl spinback the drums move from syncopated skips to ominous creakings. For a producer who isn't afraid of her pop aspirations, "Saint Rex" is a surprising afterparty cut with a hazy piano melody and vocals that sound like they've spent a few too many hours at the poolside bar.
"When I entered motherhood I was like, 'If I can create a baby, I can create something else that's pretty awesome,'" Poulter told NME in a recent cover story. Poulter, of course, was joking. But this sentiment points to the care, attention and time that have gone into this record that isn't afraid to wear its heart on its sleeves. And, with its radio-friendly moments, we might be on the cusp of Poulter having her own viral moment dropping whatever she wants at Coachella.
Tracklist01. From Within
02. Promises (feat. Rochelle Jordan)
03. Can't Let Go
04. Side By Side
05. Self To Blame feat. Kayla Blackmon
06. Cartier
07. Heartbeat
08. Saint Rex
09. All U Like
10. Every Lil' feat. DJ Plead & MJ Nebreda
11. Oceanic
12. Grown On Me