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What A Devastating Turn of Events is British singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri’s debut studio album following mild success off her first EP Mama’s Boy in 2019, though I still have yet to be acquainted with her work outside of the debut. She first came onto my radar with the music video for the first single released for the album rollout “Never Need Me“, admittedly because of the Florence Pugh guest feature, but I found the upbeat indie rock production satisfactory enough to hit that “follow” button on Spotify.

Relationship woes are the focal point of Chinouriri’s debut, with most of the songs lamenting the familiar topic of relationship breakdowns and toxic partners over Britpop-inspired rock instrumentals and reverb. The album shines in its varied production that showcase Chinouriri’s artistic range for a debut, whilst firmly cementing her sound within that general indie rock niche as well as an ability to deliver on semi-personal lyrics, though some tracks could’ve used a little more polish in the lyrical department. In this sense, the album works well as an introduction to Chinouriri’s discography.

In my opinion, the tracks that work the best are the ones heavily drowned in reverb and dizzying guitars like The Hills, which work well in emphasizing the state of emotional turmoil and numbness as is the general theme of the album. At its best, What A Devastating Turn… delivers on catchy, britpop-inspired tunes with decent production, and it never overstays its welcome with its 14-track run.

However, a major downside to my personal enjoyment (and rating) of this album is that Chinouriri’s vocals can sometimes sound like she’s singing from the other side of a tin can, and that muted, blurry sound works the best with britpop-revival tracks like The Hills and Cold Call, but for quieter tracks like I Hate Myself and What A Devastating Turn of Events, I couldn’t help but feel like there was a level of groundedness still missing from Chinouriri’s delivery. It didn’t help that, despite a clear desire to explore some darker themes or inner desires, the song never quite sticks the landing.

All in all, What A Devastating Turn of Events is a strong start to Chinouriri’s career. I do recommend you check this record out or at least listen to some of the hits, because I do see a lot of potential in Chinouriri despite some of my listed gripes. That is to say I’ll probably review whatever she comes out with next. Toodles.

Best Track(s): “The Hills”, “My Everything”, “Never Need Me”

Rating: 6.5/10