Georgia Nott, known for Broods, a music duo with her brother, Caleb, released an album, Vol. 1, on International Women’s Day. Nott released the album under the artist name The Venus Project because she hopes that this project can evolve beyond this one album and see collaborations from other artists and beyond the world of an album. This project is so important to Nott, and its release date’s timing is so perfect, because this album was created completely by women. I’m a huge fan of Broods and when I heard about this album and why it was created I got extremely excited for it. So without further ado, here is my review of Vol. 1:
1. “Moon to Moon”
After listening to this song a few times, it became one of my favorites because to me, this song sounds like something you would hear playing during the trailer for some space/sci-fi thriller, and I love that. Honestly, every time I hear this song I can picture people being trapped on a spaceship without any connections to earth while alien monsters are running amuck. I think this song did a great job of capturing an otherworldly feel in its sound. Towards the end I loved how there were so many separate elements happening with the vocals, instrumentation, and other sound effects in a way that I could tune into separately or listen to cohesively.
Favorite line: “Heroine for the dreamers/Like you want me to be.”
2. “Need/Want”
I’m a sucker for songs that flow into each other, so right off the bat I was happy starting this song. I loved that this song started feeling like it was grounded in reality with the use of the keyboard or piano, but had bursts of this feeling of something other with synth sounds, and then it fully transported me into this feeling of something other when it went beyond the keyboard sounds.
Favorite line: “Can I blend into the walls/Whenever I’m ashamed.”
3. “Need a Man”
I absolutely love that this song calls out the idea that a woman needs a man to keep her safe from what other men inflict on her. This was the second single released from the album, and while I did like the sound of the first single more, I really love the message behind this song.
Favorite line: All of the chorus
4. “Numb”
This is one of my favorite songs from the album.
Favorite line: All of it, but if I had to choose, “‘Cause if I’m the only one who can save myself and I don’t know how/Then I must be the only thing holding me back, holding myself down.”
5. “Go Easy/Hey Love – Part 1”
The opening of this song sounds like something that would play while shots of some Old West town in space would be shown before two space cowboys face off. I love the voicemail recording included at the end of the song. It feels like such a raw and personal addition, and it really complements the tone of the album. I think a lot of times this idea that people have to suffer without help, and try to make things better for themselves on their own prevails, and I feel like these voicemails really call into question that belief in our society. This voicemail really hit me. It felt so relatable, and I felt so known listening to it, because I’ve definitely been in that space where I was frustrated for feeling down when I had things to be happy about, and I’ve definitely talked out to someone while trying to make them feel like they didn’t need to take care of me. I just wanted to go give Georgia a shoulder to lean on, and honestly when I was listening to this track again on the plane there was a moment I thought I was going to start crying (luckily I didn’t!).
Favorite line: From “Go Easy,” probably “Don’t save me when I fall/Just go easy.” From “Hey Love,” the line “Just-what-where do I belong? What do I do?” or “So I can’t get this dumb stuff get to me. But yeah, um, don’t feel like you need to reply right now. Seriously, go have fun and, yeah, just wanted to let you know. Love ya.”
6. “Won’t Hurt”
This song was another one of my favorites. It was the first single released from the album, and it only raised my excitement for this album! The music video for this song was also released. It was created by a majority female cast and crew, and honestly I loved the visuals so much. If you decide to pass on this album, at least go check out the music video.
Favorite line: All of it, but if I had to choose, “So I wrap myself in you and pray that I’m not a ghost.”
7. “Take Me Out”
This song gives me Tim-Burton-jewelry-box-music vibes (sorry for the weird descriptions, but that’s honestly the best way I can think to describe it). Honestly, it’s not my favorite song on the album, but I do like the almost lullaby feel to it.
Favorite line: Either “Or I’ll forget everything/And I’ll be fine” or “Smoke and mirrors/Help me sleep tonight.”
8. “Hey Love – Part 2”
I love that Georgia continues the story here with the voicemail. Again, I’m in love with how vulnerable and relatable these voicemails are. I love that Georgia adds these pieces to the album that feel like they put her out there so plainly, and at the same time gives listeners a piece of her that they can really find themselves relating to.
Favorite line: This one was hard to pick a favorite line for, because I felt that the entire track really fit together as one cohesive piece, but maybe “But you’re a tough cookie. And you always see things with reason; habitually anyway.”
9. “Daughter of the King”
This song felt so simple compared to others since it was just piano and vocals, and I like where it was placed on the track list because of that. This feels like a song I might listen to if I needed help going to sleep, because it was so soothing.
Favorite line: “Give your love to her/She’ll give you the world.”
10. “Sorry Kids”
The vocal effects on this track were really interesting. It was a nice bookend for the album!
Favorite line: “Baby, I’m afraid to tell you it’s all doomed” or “All I wanna do is save the world for you.”
Final Thoughts: Overall, I loved the whole album. I absolutely love that Georgia started a project for women in the music industry to make a space for themselves to thrive. I played the first song for my brother, and he described the mood of the prelude as sad, so if you’re not a fan of “sad” or mellower sounding music, this may not be your favorite album. But if you’re like me, the type of person who has a playlist titled “Blue” with all your sadder or calmer sounding music, and you listen to it on a regular basis (not just when you’re feeling down), then there’s a good chance you’ll love the music on this album. I hope you guys check it out, and if you like this album, check out Georgia’s other project with her brother, Broods, if you haven’t done so already! Vol. 1 of the Venus Project is available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, and Google Play!