OLIVIA J. BENNETT

I’m an arts writer, researcher and critic based in Australia, open to commissions and collaborations.

I also work as a freelance communications specialist across brand, content and cultural strategy.

If you’d like to see my portfolio or chat about a project, feel free to get in touch.

Gertrude Contemporary Emerging Writers Program | 2020
Melbourne International Film Festival’s Critics Campus | 2019

SPACE HEAVY

King Krule

Written by Olivia J. Bennett
Edited by Isabella Trimboli
Published in print by The Big Issue AU
Issue #691 | 12 July 2023

It's almost three years since King Krule's previous album Man Alive!, and Archy Marshall's signature sound remains steeped in nostalgia. His latest offering, however, teeters on the edge of self-parody, with Marshall doling out his guttural croon and take on the blues. In 'Pink Shell', he spins a superficial tale of missed connections forged in dimly lit dive bars, confessing, "Spilling my guts to many fools and pleading their lusting/All over the world, I've seen so many things”, amid shimmering electric guitar melodies. In 2011, 'Out Getting Ribs’ was the catalyst for Marshall's career. Rooted in an era where cryptic lyrics and indie jazz-rock flourished, reflecting a blissfully detached ethos, this sound now feels like overcompensation, and a little stale. For example, on ‘Tortoise of Independency’ - a rolling track about longing - Marshall softly sings a hollowed cliche: “See those figures wait alone/On the park bench of memories." But so many of the songs blend together, and the listener is left to trudge through worn motifs of space, sea and self-flagellation.