Natalie Imbruglia is stepping into a new chapter of her career with the release of her new album Algorithm.
Nearly three decades on from Torn becoming a worldwide hit, Natalie has created a record centred around where she is now, taking control of the project both creatively and financially and exploring everything from self-acceptance and destructive habits to the pressures we put on ourselves.
And if there’s one song that perhaps sums up that feeling of moving forward, it’s Beautiful Love.
Closing the album, the new focus track is a shimmering, dancefloor-ready celebration of self-love which sees Natalie acknowledging her flaws, accepting everything she has been through and finding something freeing on the other side.
She had some rather impressive company while creating it too, writing Beautiful Love alongside Fraser T Smith, whose credits include Adele, Stormzy, Dave and Sam Smith, and Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody.
It follows previous singles Upside Down, Algorithm and Just Drive, which have already introduced this latest era and helped the album reach number two on the iTunes pre-order chart.
The campaign has also brought Natalie back to Radio 2, alongside appearances with Fearne Cotton on Sounds of the 90s and Davina McCall on Begin Again, while she’s been taking the new music out on the road with a string of international shows.
But there’s plenty more to discover now the full album has arrived.
Opening track Debbie pairs layered vocals with sleek synth-pop, while Catastrophe turns an examination of destructive tendencies into handclap-heavy disco-pop.
Things become considerably more delicate on Who Dimmed The Lights, which is dedicated to women who have had to fight to reclaim their identity, before Endgame tackles that all-too-familiar habit of chasing perfection so relentlessly that we forget to actually enjoy where we are.
Together, the songs make Algorithm feel less like Natalie trying to revisit a particular moment in her career and much more like an artist enjoying the freedom to work out what she wants this one to sound like.
After all, quite a lot has happened since Torn first introduced Natalie to millions of listeners around the world.
Her career has taken her through multiple albums, acting, extensive touring and, more recently, performing alongside Olivia Rodrigo. Yet Algorithm finds Natalie looking firmly towards what comes next.
And with Beautiful Love bringing the record to a close on a note of acceptance, there’s something rather lovely about an album about taking control ending with Natalie simply allowing herself to celebrate exactly who she is.
Algorithm is out now.
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