Austra Chin Up Buttercup
Austra's Chin Up Buttercup converts ruptured emotion into propulsive release, a record where grief and betrayal are rewired into dancefloor catharsis. Across three professional reviews the consensus frames the album as an evolution of sound - one that balances heartrending vulnerability with buoyant, club-ready production - earning a 75.33/100 average from critics who praise its ability to make heartbreak feel both exposed and strangely consoling.
Critics consistently point to standout tracks as proof of the album's emotional architecture: “Math Equation” is repeatedly cited for its bouncy Scandipop energy and sharp opening line, while “Good Riddance”, highlighted by multiple reviewers, functions as the record's point of acceptance. Reviewers also flag “Amnesia” and “Blindsided” for their intimate, unsparing songwriting, and single out “The Hopefulness of Dawn” and “Siren Song” for maximalist, trance-tinged lifts that turn denial into catharsis. Professional reviews note a split between propulsive '90s eurodance drama and quieter, confessional passages, a tension that keeps the best songs on Chin Up Buttercup lingering.
While praise centers on transformation, resilience and the redemptive power of dance, some critics temper enthusiasm with the observation that the record's theatrical shifts occasionally undercut cohesion. Even so, the critical consensus suggests Chin Up Buttercup is worth attention for anyone seeking incisive songwriting elevated by euphoric production - an emotionally direct collection where vulnerability becomes armour and the dancefloor doubles as a place of reckoning. Below, the full reviews unpack how these songs achieve that uneasy, uplifting alchemy.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
The Hopefulness of Dawn
1 mention
"The album’s most maximalist moment, however, arrives halfway through its longest track, "The Hopefulness of Dawn""— Pitchfork
Good Riddance
2 mentions
"especially "Good Riddance," where Stelmanis delivers some of her weightiest realizations"— AllMusic
Amnesia
1 mention
""Amnesia" sets the album's tone -- or rather, tones -- starting in the blast zone of loss"— AllMusic
The album’s most maximalist moment, however, arrives halfway through its longest track, "The Hopefulness of Dawn"
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Amnesia
Math Equation
Siren Song
Chin Up Buttercup
Fallen Cloud
Blindsided
Think Twice
Look Me in the Eye
The Hopefulness of Dawn
Good Riddance
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Austra's Katie Stelmanis turns rupture into revelation on Chin Up Buttercup, where the best songs - “Amnesia”, “Blindsided”, and “Good Riddance” - trade anguish for strange consolation. Her voice moves from heartrending piano balladry to operatic peaks and euphoric club propulsion, so the best tracks on Chin Up Buttercup feel both intimately wrecked and defiantly buoyant. The reviewer's eye lingers on songwriting that is immediate and unsparing, and those standout moments pin down why these songs feel like the album's emotional center. This is music that finds salvation in feeling, and it makes the case for these tracks as the album's highlights.
Key Points
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Good Riddance is the best song because it pairs weighty realizations with an unguarded soprano that crystallizes the album's emotional payoff.
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The album's core strengths are intimate songwriting, a blend of dancefloor catharsis and operatic vocal peaks, and honest vulnerability.
Themes
Critic's Take
Austra’s Chin Up Buttercup is a triumphant, club-ready meditation on heartbreak that often finds its best tracks in the album’s dance-floor pivots. The review repeatedly praises “Math Equation” for its bouncy, Scandipop rhythm and sharp opening line, positioning it among the best tracks on Chin Up Buttercup. Equally celebrated are “The Hopefulness of Dawn” and “Fallen Cloud,” the former for its maximalist Ibiza-ready turn and the latter for its MDMA-like jubilation, both examples of how Stelmanis spins grief into ecstatic production. Briefly, the title track “Chin Up Buttercup” is noted as a bold, effective structural experiment that obliterates sadness for a moment.
Key Points
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The best song, "The Hopefulness of Dawn," earns its place by delivering a maximalist, Ibiza-ready payoff that ties the album together.
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The album’s core strength is converting heartbreak into euphoric, club-ready synth-pop while evolving Austra’s established sound.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review Matt Young frames Austra’s Chin Up Buttercup as an album that turns heartbreak into a dance-floor exorcism, with the bruised catharsis of “Math Equation” and the trance-tinged sweep of “Siren Song” standing out as the best tracks. He hears the record split between propulsive '90s eurodance drama and quieter, confessional passages, and it is that tension which makes the best songs linger. The closer “Good Riddance” is singled out as the point of acceptance, the moment the record finally puts the mess behind it. Young’s language is candid and slightly sardonic, treating these songs as both armour and confession, which explains why listeners seeking the best songs on Chin Up Buttercup will be drawn to those emotionally direct moments.
Key Points
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The best song is notable for raw, wounded lyrics paired with dance-floor release, exemplified by "Math Equation".
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The album's core strength is turning grief into euphoric electronica that balances confession with propulsive melodies.