Natalie Imbruglia: Algorithm Review — Just Press Play and Dance
By A lighter, freer Imbruglia steps out of the past and onto the dancefloor
Natalie Imbruglia isn’t normally an artist you’d find on my playlist. Yet Algorithm has given me reason to reconsider that. I’ve always felt her music was somewhat confined to its time — you could hear one of her songs and immediately think, yep, that’s the ’90s. But Algorithm feels like Imbruglia breaking free from those expectations, embracing the music she loves and, more importantly, simply enjoying herself. The result is an album that feels lighter, fresher and surprisingly timeless.
Algorithm is very much Imbruglia’s record. She co-wrote and co-produced the album, working alongside an eclectic cast of collaborators including Mark Crew, MyRiot, Anu Pillai, Dan Priddy, Louis Rogove, Ash Soan and Tobie Tripp. There’s a sense throughout the album that Imbruglia isn’t looking backwards or trying to recreate what came before. She’s taking control, experimenting and figuring out where she wants to go next.
“Debbie” opens Algorithm with Imbruglia softly repeating “Debbie, don’t look back”, almost whispering the song into life. There’s something wonderfully intimate about the introduction before the production begins to gather around her voice, gradually pulling the track into a brighter, more expansive space. It feels like both a conversation with herself and a command to move forward — an apt opening for an album that finds Imbruglia stepping outside the musical confines of her past.
“Upside Down” bounces straight out of the gate, and if a song ever had a more fitting title, it’s this one. Bright synths and restless percussion give the track a sense of constant motion, leaving you feeling as though you’re being thrown from one side of the room to the other. But beneath all that movement is something far more vulnerable: a struggle with mental health, losing control of your emotions and the exhausting fight to keep everything together. There’s something deeply personal in that tension, but also something hopeful. And somehow, Imbruglia turns that darkness into three-and-a-half minutes of pure brightness.
“Algorithm”, the album’s title track, starts with an almost hypnotic beat before Natalie’s warm vocals wrap themselves around you. Then comes the quietly addictive mantra of “I am Algorithm”, a simple refrain that burrows its way into your head. There’s something instantly catchy about this one — a track that gets under your skin and makes sitting still feel like an increasingly difficult option.
“Sounds Like It Feels” is all hushed vocals and lush harmonies, a soft-focus symphony that slowly opens itself up around you. There’s something almost weightless about it, the kind of song that has you dancing barefoot on freshly cut grass, arms in the air, without a care in the world. It’s warm, euphoric and effortlessly beautiful — proof that sometimes the simplest songs can make you feel the most alive.
“Who Dimmed The Lights” — do I hear a banjo? Whatever it is, I’m hooked. Easily one of my favourite tracks on the album, it rides on a dreamy rhythm and marching drumbeat that gives the whole thing a wonderfully restless energy. There’s something wonderfully earthy about it, as if Imbruglia has stepped away from the electronic shimmer and into somewhere warmer, more open and carefree. Quirky, unexpected and utterly infectious — it’s the kind of song that makes you want to turn it up and let yourself get carried away.
“Breathe With The Fire Lola” opens like a stuck needle on a record before Imbruglia’s silky vocals sweep in, suddenly transporting you to long summer days and Ibiza haze. It’s another one that refuses to sit still, its breezy rhythm practically ordering you off the sofa and onto the dancefloor. Go on — let that body of yours sway.
They say save the best until last, and “Beautiful Love” is just that. This is Natalie Imbruglia at her best — shaking off the past, looking forward and finally sounding completely free. “I swing so high I smash the sky / I’m seeing everything clear / I want you here beside me” — there’s hope in every word, a little skip in its step and more than a touch of magic. It’s the kind of closing track that leaves you grinning, dancing and wondering why the hell the album had to end.
And to make it even cooler, the video for this was filmed entirely on an iPhone. How cool is that?
Natalie Imbruglia’s Algorithm is more than just an album — it’s a clearing of the clutter, a fresh start and a reminder that sometimes the best way forward is to simply let go and dance. Imbruglia has talked about wanting people to dance around the kitchen with her, and one thing’s for sure: you won’t be sitting still while Algorithm is playing.
Lush vocals, infectious choruses, shimmering production and more than a little sunshine make this an album that feels genuinely alive. It’s Imbruglia shaking off the past, stepping into something new and having a bloody good time while she’s at it.
Forget the algorithm — just press play and dance.
Natalie Imbruglia – Algorithm Buy it HERE
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Algorithm Tracklist
- “Debbie”
- “Upside Down”
- “Catastrophe”
- “Algorithm (Interlude)”
- “Algorithm”
- “Sounds Like It Feels”
- “Jesus on Mars”
- “Who Dimmed the Lights”
- “Endgame”
- “Just Drive”
- “Breathe with the Fire Lola” (or “Breathe with the Fire”)
- “Beautiful Love”