Adalita: Inland (Limited Pink Vinyl)

SKU / Catalogue Number
Vinyl Catalogue Number: LRLP0035

Adalita’s Inland came out on 2 December 2022 through Liberation Records / Mushroom Music and stands as her third solo album, arriving nine years after All Day Venus. It reached No. 29 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

As a review, Inland is one of those records that does not need to shout to leave a mark. It is intimate, tense, and emotionally exposed, but it never feels weak. Adalita has always had that gift for making vulnerability sound tough, and this album leans into that strength hard. The guitars still bite, the writing still has that bruised clarity she does so well, but the whole record feels more inward-looking than explosive. It is less about big gestures and more about emotional pressure building song by song. Critics picked up on that too, describing the album as focused on torment, vulnerability, infatuation, obsession, and self-discovery.

What makes Inland work so well is its restraint. Adalita does not overfill these songs. She leaves space in them, and that space matters. It lets the ache sit there. It lets the melodies hang in the air a little longer. When the album hits harder, it feels earned. “Dazzling” is a standout because it captures that balance perfectly, stark and expansive but still emotionally raw. “Savage Heart” and “Hit Me” deepen that mood rather than breaking it, while the quieter, more reflective passages never feel like downtime. They feel like part of the wound.

There is also something very Australian about Inland without it ever becoming self-consciously “local.” It feels dry, wide, lonely, and close to the nerve. That sense of place runs through the whole album. Band and radio descriptions frame it as an inward journey of self-discovery, growth, infatuation, obsession, and letting go, and that really is the core of the record. It feels like a private reckoning turned into songs.

If there is a criticism, it is that Inland is so committed to mood that it can blur a little on first listen. This is not an album built around instant hooks or obvious peaks. It opens gradually. But that is also why it lasts. The more time you give it, the more it starts to reveal its shape. This is not Adalita chasing easy impact. It is Adalita trusting atmosphere, texture, and emotional honesty to do the work.

Inland is a strong late-career statement from an artist who still sounds completely like herself. It is poised, wounded, and quietly powerful. Not showy. Not trying too hard. Just a very good record made by someone who knows exactly how to turn discomfort into atmosphere.