Rob’s Album Of The Week: Alice Ivy’s Don’t Sleep

Melbourne artist Alice Ivy can make some fantastic beats. She creates music that fuses together hip hop, R&B, chillwave and big beat with the result being tight grooves and soulful vibes. It’s the kind of stuff that can gravitate to old school hip hop heads, EDM junkies and casual pop fans. Her second LP, Don’t Sleep, that was released on July 17 via Last Gang Records shows an expansion of her talents in a variety of ways. The numerous collaborations featured in the album also highlight the abundant qualities within her unique sound.

Ivy’s sophomore release has her doing a bit of globetrotting. Edmonton rapper Cadence Weapon, Sydney singer-songwriter Odette and Benjamin Joseph from the Canberra indie pop act Safia are involved in a few tracks. Steady collaborator Bertie Blackman also makes her presence felt in the album. Ivy’s ability to work with so many different talented artists is an excellent example of her knack for adapting to numerous styles. It’s a trait that very rare these days in today’s music.

Another week of this review column and another week of dealing with COVID-19. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world and people are getting restless. We have news organizations trying to scare people on a daily basis while the numbers of cases and deaths in most parts of the United States increase. Maybe this will finally be the…