Released: 28 May 2021
Rating: ***

The Veronicas prove hit and miss on their latest album ‘Godzilla’. 

The group’s fourth LP is the first instalment of a double album project, serving as the counterpart to ‘Human’, due July 2.

Jess and Lisa Origliasso dominated charts worldwide with pop-rock gems like Untouched and 4ever in the ‘00s, so the promise of “distorted guitars, screaming, and 80s Synths,” had us perched. 

But ‘Godzilla’ suffers from an identity crisis that’s as confused as it is jarring. 

Kicking off with the title track – the single used to launch the campaign – the album also features pre-release hits In My Blood (2016) and The Only High (2017). 

And while the tune appeared to signal a rockier sound for the group’s latest offering, it is, in fact, an outlier amongst a largely mid-tempo, synth-driven set. 

There are high points; In It to Win It is the kind of riot we expected from ‘Godzilla’, while the distorted instrumentation and sing-a-long chorus of Stealing Cars is quintessentially The Veronicas. 

101 wouldn’t sound out of place on their ‘Hook Me Up’ album – high praise indeed.

However, the rest of the LP, while enjoyable, is laboured and overworked to the point where it loses the charm that first had us falling for the duo.   

‘Godzillia’ isn’t a bad album – in fact, the songs themselves are good. But the strength of The Veronicas’ catalogue casts a shadow that’s hard to ignore. 

Perhaps knowing the extensive timeline of the album has led to disappointment, or maybe it’ll make more sense alongside ‘Human’…

But hopefully the girls are able to close out this extended chapter of work and move onto a new journey that truly captures the essence of The Veronicas.

‘Godzilla’ is out digitally and available on CD in the UK. Vinyl editions are on sale worldwide.