Ava Max - Heaven & Hell (LP) - Clear Vinyl

Ava Max’s debut lands like a sugar rush and a pep talk at once, a neon-lit pop set with a cheeky split down the middle. Heaven & Hell arrived in September 2020 on Atlantic, and it sticks to a simple but effective idea: one side glowing and triumphant, the other darker and more feral, yet all of it built for big speakers and bigger choruses. It is a concept she kept repeating across interviews at the time, framing the record as a mirror for life’s highs and lows. There are no ballads here, just a sprint through glossy pop where confidence is the currency.

The Heaven run kicks off with the glistening “Kings & Queens,” an empowerment anthem that earns its crown with a belting chorus and a tidy guitar solo that feels like a wink to hair-metal theatrics. “Naked” leans into sultry synths without losing the radio sheen, while “Tattoo” and “Call Me Tonight” keep the tempo high and the hooks clean. The best of the bunch might be “OMG What’s Happening,” a playful, disco-tinted whirl where her voice skates over a bassline that begs for a dance floor. “Born to the Night” sends things down a twilight lane, all 80s glow and city-at-midnight mood, proof she can push a throwback without tipping into pastiche.

Hell is less about fire and brimstone than a sly grin with sharpened teeth. “Take You to Hell” plays up the menace with a stalking beat, then “Who’s Laughing Now” thumps like a victory lap after shaking off doubters. “Belladonna” is pure dark glamour, a poison-kissed pop song with enough drama to fill a late-night video slot, and “Rumors” slinks by with a knowing smirk. The closing run folds in the hits that built her profile. “So Am I” waves a flag for the odd ones out, and “Salt” finally got its proper spotlight after fans kept trading it online. “Sweet but Psycho” is still the juggernaut, the track that shot to No. 1 in the UK and many other countries and proved she could take a maximalist chorus and make it feel inevitable.

A lot of the glue here comes from Cirkut, whose pop factory precision gives these songs their punch. The drums snap, the synths fizz, and Ava steers the whole thing with laser focus. It is unabashedly mainstream, but that is the point. She leans into pop’s big feelings and trims the fat, letting choruses arrive early and often. It is the sort of record that lives on car stereos and gym playlists, but it rewards repeat listens too, as little production flourishes and stacked harmonies reveal themselves.

Critics in the UK and US clocked exactly that, noting the record’s commitment to pure pop craft and the playful Heaven-versus-Hell framing. It is not trying to be art-pop, and it doesn’t need to be. What it offers is a coherent world, a steady mood, and songs that stand up next to the singles that brought her here. If you grew up on late-2000s and early-2010s chart pop and miss the unapologetic shine, this feels like a spiritual sequel.

All of that translates neatly to wax. The Heaven & Hell vinyl plays to the album’s built-in symmetry, and flipping the LP at the halfway mark makes the thematic pivot land with a satisfying click. It is the sort of modern pop pressing you actually want in a collection because it works as a start-to-finish listen, not just a packaging exercise around a couple of hits. If you’re crate-digging at a Melbourne record store, you’ll spot it easily in the new-release alphabet. And if you prefer to buy Ava Max records online, there are solid pressings floating around, often alongside other Ava Max albums on vinyl. For those building a pop shelf in the world of vinyl records Australia, this one earns its spot.

Years on, the record still does its job with cheerful efficiency. Heaven gives you the rush, Hell gives you the sting, and together they sketch a pop star who understands the mechanics of a hook and the value of a theme. If you’re chasing an entry point beyond the singles, start with “OMG What’s Happening,” then let the sequence do its work. And if you’re hunting for Ava Max vinyl, consider this your cue. It is bright, it is bold, and it knows exactly what it wants to be.