Before I was asked to review Princess Chelsea’s album, I had heard of her and a few of her songs, but had no idea the fan base the Auckland born singer had behind her. You only need to take a look on her Facebook page or YouTube channel to realise that people love her. They love her voice, her style, her personality, and downright quirkiness. Princess Chelsea’s style can only be described as ‘space pop’ or ‘synthpop’, and is not something I would usually find myself listening to, however, I like to broaden my listening spectrum on music, and was excited to listen and review her album The Great Cybernetic Depression.
Listening to Princess Chelsea’s music was like going back to the 80s. I was brought up listening to many an 80s tune growing up, and this album definitely had an 80s vibe.
Stand out’s on this album where; When The World Turns Grey, a very slow tempo, emotional piece about lost love. I don’t know whether Chelsea wrote this song due to her own experience or not, either way, it is so raw and full of emotion and passion. The guitar rift with the eerie galactic music also added another dimension that made the track interesting on a completely different level.
No Church On Sunday, is another example of Chelsea’s rawness and her use of blunt and upfront lyrics. I came across the music video to this on good ol’ YouTube, and even though it wasn’t my cup of tea, you only had to look at the comments below to see that her fans thought it was incredible. I understand that Chelsea is an artist that tests boundaries in style, imagery and sound and this music video was no different.
We Are Strangers, is a song that, even though it sounds like a beautiful duo, is all about technology and how it is making people strangers to each other. The opening line being, ‘I would kill technology, just to know you well’. As a person who has a love hate relationship with technology, I understand completely the message Chelsea was bringing in this song.
These three are standouts in an eccentric and interesting album that pushes boundaries in storytelling and sound. The use of robotic noises, eerie galactic sounds, all ties in well to the title of the album. There was also a meowing cat (I am not even kidding, track seven titled Winston Crying On The Bathroom Floor, is just over two minutes of a dainty tune, overlaid with space noises and cat meows), my question about this track is, is Chelsea’s cat called Winston and was he crying on the bathroom floor when she recorded this? Also, what inspired her to create such a track? I would love to have a sit down with her to find out how she goes about making her music. I admire Princess Chelsea for taking risks when creating music and I look forward to seeing what other beautiful creations she comes up with next.
So my final question, and this one goes out to Chelsea’s manager, when is the best time to interview Princess Chelsea?
The name Princess Chelsea started off as loving teasing almost 15 years ago. Her bandmates from Auckland’s Teen Wolf “were being sarcastic, because when we were on tour I was often looking really dishevelled, and they would joke that I was a princess.” Chelsea took on the princess title, and complicated it playfully. Hers is a partial yet whole-hearted embrace of femininity which emphasises the aesthetic labour of beauty, and unsettles it. In Teen Wolf she began working her classical training as a pianist into New Zealand’s underground music scene. Subsequently she lent this talent to indie pop outfit The Brunettes.
In 2011 Princess Chelsea’s full-length bedroom recorded debut, Lil' Golden Book, was released by local label Lil' Chief. A “musical fairy tale,” its songs follow her youth and coming of age in Aotearoa New Zealand. Baroque arrangements of nostalgic synthesisers and chamber pop instruments sometimes explode into psychedelia, layered over with innocent vocal melodies and lyrics. Chelsea’s debut defined her knowing poise and ornate synth-pop atmospherics and with its original release, Chelsea made a series of DIY videos which became YouTube hits. The Cigarette Duet video featured Chelsea in a pink wig and heart shaped sunglasses beside Jonathan Bree (The Brunettes) in a hot tub. Its viral popularity cemented her cult status and garnered attention in mainstream press. The Guardian named her “The new band of the day.” The video has made a resurgence on TikTok, pushing views over 75 million. But Princess Chelsea is more than an internet sensation. She has a steadily growing, loyal fan base spread around the world, to which she connects through touring and social media.
Lil' Golden Book was reissued for its 10th anniversary as a limited edition package in 2021. A golden vinyl was accompanied by a collectible A1 poster, reversible cover art, gatefold artwork with lyrics and a foiled golden spine. It is a love-letter from Chelsea to her dedicated fans. For some this will be nostalgic, for others a new chance to own the album.