Oslo-based artist Hellebaby steps out alone for the first time with ‘Replica Gun’, a bright, intricately produced debut built around considerably darker thoughts. Inspired by the conversation following a second therapy session, the track captures those first uncomfortable realisations beginning to surface, turning Helle Larsen’s experiences with her own mental health into a restless stream of consciousness.
‘Replica Gun’ sits somewhere between French pop and indietronica. Bright, brass-like synths give the track its playful pop sheen, while Larsen’s free-flowing verses mirror the feeling of thoughts tumbling out faster than they can be processed. There’s even a wonderfully strange moment where everything briefly seems to slip into slow motion before snapping back into place.
Rather than becoming outright danceable, ‘Replica Gun’ settles into an infectious little bop, with an earworm of a chorus placing some of its darkest imagery inside its brightest melodies. That contrast makes Hellebaby’s introduction particularly compelling: serious without becoming solemn, catchy without disguising the discomfort underneath.
