The highly produced pop shimmer of Norwegian superstar
Bertine Zetlitz has inexplicably failed to reach much of an audience outside of her home country. This is surprising, considering her music is just as expertly crafted as that of any international star--something which her sophomore effort
Beautiful So Far amply shows. Coupled with the skilled production of
Cardigans producer Tore Johansson, whose work here steps into modern, decidedly processed dancehall terrain,
Zetlitz's largely self-penned material is remarkably taut and catchy. Her lyrics and icy vocal delivery pack a sizable punch, often veering into a vaguely menacing, playfully twisted attitude. "Sick Communication," for one, is fantastically creepy and sly, with the chorus repeating the line "I will kill them all for you." Startling moments of this nature are scattered throughout
Beautiful So Far, with
Zetlitz dropping dark little lines like "Be careful little one/make sure you have a gun" and "I can be cruel, cruel, cruel when it matters," thereby keeping the tension of the music high and consistently alluring, even as the bubbly beats and synths fall into repetition later in the album.
Zetlitz also isn't afraid to bluntly reference stardom, asserting "You know, you're here just to adore me" on lead single "Adore Me," which is perhaps the track most reminiscent of her Norwegian peer
Annie. Like all of
Bertine Zetlitz's work,
Beautiful So Far exhibits first-rate hooks, crisp and complex electronic instrumentation, and a starlet with an utterly captivating persona. ~ Ben Peterson