Better in Blak
2019 studio album by Thelma Plum
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Better in Blak is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Thelma Plum, released on 12 July 2019 through Warner Music Australia.
| Better in Blak | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 July 2019 | |||
| Length | 36:58 | |||
| Label | Warner Music Australia | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Thelma Plum chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Better in Blak | ||||
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Better in Blak achieved commercial success, peaking at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and winning two awards: Best Cover Art at the 2019 ARIA Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2020 Queensland Music Awards.
An anniversary edition featuring previously unreleased tracks was released on 6 November 2020.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Newcastle Herald |   [1] |
Better in Blak received critical acclaim.[2]
Josh Leeson of The Newcastle Herald wrote: "Emotional, and unapologetically honest, the Indigenous artist addresses racism, sexism and her broken heart", adding, "Plum's voice is placed at the forefront of the mix, allowing the sparse indie-folk instrumentation to provide casual direction."[1]
Al Newstead from Triple J wrote that Better in Blak is "an album of healing, [and] transforming the pain and sadness of a dark few years into a courageous, self-assured debut album."[3]
Thomas Bleach described the album as "a collection of hard-hitting and thought invoking [sic] moments", and "one of the most impressive debuts of the year".[4] He also wrote that Better in Blak "embodies the different sides of her artistry in an honest and endearing way."[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Clumsy Love" | Thelma Plum | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Don't Let a Good Girl Down" |
| 2:54 |
| 3. | "Love and War" (featuring David Le'aupepe) |
| 3:28 |
| 4. | "Not Angry Anymore" |
| 3:23 |
| 5. | "Homecoming Queen" |
| 3:51 |
| 6. | "Better in Blak" |
| 3:12 |
| 7. | "Woke Blokes" |
| 2:34 |
| 8. | "Nick Cave" |
| 2:45 |
| 9. | "Thulumaay Gii" |
| 2:50 |
| 10. | "Ugly" |
| 3:07 |
| 11. | "Do You Ever Get So Sad You Can't Breathe" | Plum | 2:17 |
| 12. | "Made for You" | 3:30 | |
| Total length: | 36:58 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Body Do the Talking" | 2:26 |
| 14. | "Clumsy Love" (St South remix) | 2:48 |
| 15. | "Better in Blak" (Antony & Cleopatra remix) | 3:48 |
| 16. | "Homecoming Queen" (Alice Ivy remix) | 4:28 |
| 17. | "Clumsy Love" (Acoustic version) | 3:06 |
| 18. | "Better in Blak" (piano version) | 2:44 |
| Total length: | 56:18 | |
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] | 4 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2019) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Artist Albums (ARIA)[6] | 46 |
| Chart (2020) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] | 87 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Better in Blak | Album of the Year | Nominated | [14][15] |
| Best Cover Art[a] | Won | |||
| Best Female Artist | Nominated | |||
| Best Pop Release | ||||
| Breakthrough Artist |
Australian Music Prize
J Awards
National Indigenous Music Awards
Queensland Music Awards
Notes
- Plum was nominated for Best Cover Art for Emilie Pfitzner's artwork design.[15]