Ali Barter - Hello, I'm Doing My Best (LP) - Translucent Red Vinyl

Ali Barter’s second album, Hello, I’m Doing My Best, landed in October 2019 and still feels like a friend texting you from the curb outside a party. The Melbourne singer-songwriter tightens the screws on the fizzy, guitar-forward sound she kicked up on A Suitable Girl and uses it to talk plainly about anxiety, messy romance, and the weird half-grown years when your brain won’t match your birth date. It’s sharp, funny, tender, and loud in the right places.

You can hear the comfort and confidence of a tight partnership all over it. Barter works again with Oscar Dawson, whose guitar instincts and studio touch keep the songs bright and punchy. The record leans on crunchy chords, clean lines, and choruses that open like a window. It’s the late-90s and early-2000s alternative playbook, scaled to her voice and wit. Nothing here drifts or meanders; it’s a focused set built for stages, car speakers, and, yes, a turntable.

Backseat was the calling card single. It has that perfect Ali Barter mix of vulnerability and bite, a hook that peels off the fretboard, then a line that cuts through like a raised eyebrow. It picked up spins on triple j, and it makes sense why. The song moves with that sing-and-shout energy you want at a sweaty show, a pop instinct wrapped in indie rock clothes. Ur A Piece of Shit arrived with a cheeky title, but the heart of it is care. It’s a pep talk for the self-sabotaging and sleep-deprived, delivered over chiming guitars and a tempo that won’t let you sit still. In a live room, you can imagine the chorus turning into a giant group exhale.

Barter’s voice is the anchor. She doesn’t overreach, and that restraint sells the lyrics. When she leans into a line about pulling herself together or giving in to a late-night spiral, there’s no melodrama, just a candid report from the scene. The writing is diaristic without feeling small. You get flashes of Melbourne streets and shared houses, the kind of details that stick because they were actually lived, not dreamed up for effect.

The production keeps the record lively. Guitars are crisp; drums have snap and room; backing vocals slide in to sweeten a chorus, then step back. There’s a tactile, band-in-room feel that makes Hello, I’m Doing My Best translate beautifully to vinyl. If you’re crate-digging for Ali Barter vinyl, this is the one that will make your speakers smile. The highs are glassy without harshness, and the low end has enough heft to push the choruses forward. It’s the kind of modern rock mix that rewards dropping the needle and letting a side roll.

What sticks after a few spins is how Barter balances tone. She’ll crack a joke in one verse and then hit a nerve in the next. That blend is why the record feels good to keep around. It’s not a pity party, but it isn’t glib either. She’s writing about getting older while still feeling unfinished, and she keeps it human. If you came in through Girlie Bits, you’ll hear that same no-BS spirit, aimed less at the outside world and more at the inner static.

There’s a community aspect to it too. These songs play like they were built to be shouted with strangers. In 2019 and into early 2020, they became setlist staples, and you can hear why on record. The hooks feel communal, the kind of choruses that turn a room of shy people into a choir by the second round.

If you’re hunting down Hello, I’m Doing My Best vinyl, check your favorite Melbourne record store or the usual online haunts. It’s not a crate ghost; copies float around, and the artwork pops on LP scale. While you’re at it, Ali Barter albums on vinyl sit well together on a shelf, and it’s dangerously easy to buy Ali Barter records online when you’re chasing that Australian indie rock fix. For folks browsing vinyl records Australia-wide, this is a safe blind buy if you like guitars that sparkle and lyrics that feel like a late-night debrief with a friend.

Hello, I’m Doing My Best doesn’t overpromise. It sits in that sweet spot where catharsis and craft line up. Put it on when you want to feel seen, or when you need a jolt that won’t leave you jittery. It’s a 2019 snapshot that still sounds current, a little beacon for anyone trying to grow up without losing the plot.