With a haze of Impulse body spray and Lip Smacker balms, Olivia’s World is what you heard through the walls of your older sister’s bedroom in 1995.
As you turn on her stereo when she’s not home, you listen to the sounds of distorted sunshine. All while you make her Barbie dolls hump each other and tip her make-up on the carpet.
Running off the pink nostalgia from the riot grrrl movement and mixing it with Angel by Mugler, Olivia’s World’s music is candy coated. ‘Greedy & gorgeous’, their newest record, features a signature DIY sound that pays homage to Bikini Kill, Hole, and Le Tigre.
‘Sourgum’ is chewed up and spit out, leaving an artificial watermelon flavour in your mouth. ‘Empresário’ tells a corporate love story that is destined to dilapidate. The final track ‘Beauty bar’ is delivered in a PJ Harvey-esque tone with a dream-pop flavour. It smells like hair dye and your date cancelling on you last minute. If you have a sweet tooth and are overdue for a dentist’s appointment, they’re here to fill your cavities.
“I’m always drawn to lyricists, like Pavement – I’m like wow, you’ve got a lot to say”
Their origins aren’t as sickly sweet though. Their raw 2019 self-titled EP features ‘Cereal Boxes’, a tale of a rotting Coco Pops box in a recycling yard. Their track ‘Puppy Voice’ could easily be off an American Football album. As a total package, the songs sound like they’d play during ‘Daria’ back in MTV’s heyday.
Is it Wayne’s World, a Sick, Sad World? Neither – It’s Olivia’s World.
Words by Nick Hibbs