Thelma Plum - Better In Blak (LP) - Brown Marbled Vinyl

There’s a charge that runs through Better in Blak, the kind you feel even before the first chorus lands. Thelma Plum has long been one of this country’s finest storytellers, and her debut album proves it with a set of pop songs that cut clean and deep. It arrived in July 2019 on Warner Music Australia and quickly felt like one of those records that people passed around to mates with a quiet “you need to hear this.”

Plum, a Gamilaraay singer songwriter, writes with precision about identity, love, and the ways the world can bruise you and then try to decide how you should respond. The title track is the centre of gravity here. It’s fearless and catchy, a pop song that doesn’t dodge the hard stuff. She’s addressed in interviews how it came from real experiences of racism and being spoken over, and you can hear that steel in the melody and the way the rhythm section surges underneath. It’s also a reminder that political songs don’t have to sound like homework. This one sticks in your head like radio gold.

Clumsy Love had already signalled a big step up in her writing, and it still sparkles. All chiming guitar and bittersweet hooks, it’s the song you put on while cooking on a Sunday and then find yourself humming on the tram on Monday. Homecoming Queen might be the album’s quiet heart. It reflects on growing up and not seeing yourself on TV or in the glossy bits of culture. The arrangement keeps space around her voice so the lines land in your chest. Not Angry Anymore and Do You Ever Get So Sad You Can’t Breathe? lean into the push and pull of pop and folk, with strings and subtle percussion that feel carefully placed rather than piled on. It’s pop craft with a clear spine.

Production is polished without sanding off any character. Alex Burnett’s pop nous is in the DNA of these tracks, but what stands out is how Plum’s voice sits forward, conversational and warm, like she’s telling you the story across a kitchen table. The album never loses sight of song over sheen, which is rarer than it should be. You can hear that approach in the way harmonies glide in and out, or how a single guitar figure will carry a verse before the drums swell for a chorus. It’s built for replay.

Critical reception backed up the instinct that this would last. The Guardian and NME Australia praised the record’s clarity and punch, and it went on to collect a stack of nods at the ARIA Music Awards that year. On stage, the songs took on another life. If you caught the Better in Blak tour, you’ll remember the room singing the title track like a chorus they already knew, with Plum smiling through the heaviest lines. It felt communal, not just cathartic.

Spinning Better in Blak on wax is the sweet spot. The low end sits a touch warmer and the vocals bloom, which suits these songs. If you’re the type who files albums by mood, this sits comfortably next to classic Australasian pop that prizes melody and plainspoken truth. Plenty of folks hunt down Thelma Plum vinyl for that reason, and it’s easy to see why this album keeps moving quickly in shops. If you’ve been looking to buy Thelma Plum records online, don’t sleep on this one, because Better in Blak vinyl tends to vanish when a new batch appears. For crate diggers who like to keep it local, it’s a no brainer for any collection of vinyl records Australia wide, whether you’re grabbing it at a Melbourne record store or from your favourite indie site that specialises in Thelma Plum albums on vinyl.

What makes this debut special is how wide its appeal runs without blunting the message. The songs feel generous, but they also set boundaries. They’re charming, then they draw blood, then they crack a joke to let a little light in. That balance is hard to nail, yet Plum makes it sound effortless. Each listen reveals another small detail, a harmony tucked into a bridge, a lyric you missed first time around, a drum fill that nudges you into the chorus at just the right second.

Better in Blak still feels vital, still feels like the moment when Thelma Plum took all the promise of those early singles and made a proper statement. If you love pop that tells the truth and sticks with you, this is the one to take home, drop the needle on, and then pass along to a friend with that same quiet “you need to hear this.”