Gia Como
Love Myself!
Independent
Gia Como’s real name is Jack Spencer Arbuckle but after listening to their new single Love Myself!, the alias suits far better: a groove that sounds as if it could have emerged during the 80s heyday of Italo disco could never be associated with such a staid name as Jack.
Love Myself! is the first release from forthcoming debut album FLUX, expected this November. It’s a sleazy and silly slice of synth pop. Gia Como’s vocal range is expansive, slipping between soprano and baritone to deliver lyrics about battles with mental health and gender identity. “Who knows what side effects are waiting,” they wonder; the repeated choral refrain of “I have to learn to love myself” sounds like a desperate reminder for the artist to do so (and the listener too).
Arbuckle was part of the duo Miraud, who released their excellent self-titled album in 2018. That record took a lot of cues from Homeshake, with its silvery lo-fi electronica and drowned chillwave vocals. Now, Gia Como’s style is refined, more assured and outward. There are obvious comparisons to be made with artists such as PART TIME and Ariel Pink, who realised that there was a market for New Wave and 80s revival and capitalised.
What Gia Como achieves on Love Myself! is a delicate balancing act between sincerity and insincerity. The words are emotional and important but coated in a layer of glam synth instrumentals that never let the pace waver. Expectations are high for the remaining tracks on FLUX.
CONOR LOCHRIE
