2019 studio album by Thelma Plum
Better in Blak |
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/Better_in_Blak_by_Thelma_Plum.png/220px-Better_in_Blak_by_Thelma_Plum.png) |
Studio album by Thelma Plum |
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Released | 12 July 2019 (2019-07-12) |
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Length | 36:58 |
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Label | Warner Music Australia |
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Producer | - Alexander Burnett
- David Kahne
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Thelma Plum chronology |
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Monsters (2014) | Better in Blak (2019) | Meanjin (2022) | |
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Singles from Better in Blak |
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- "Clumsy Love"
Released: 13 July 2018 - "Not Angry Anymore"
Released: 1 February 2019 - "Better in Blak"
Released: 26 April 2019 - "Homecoming Queen"
Released: 12 July 2019 |
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Better in Blak is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Thelma Plum, released on 12 July 2019 through Warner Music Australia.
Better in Blak achieved commercial success, peaking at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and winning two awards: Best Cover Art at the 2019 ARIA Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2020 Queensland Music Awards.
An anniversary edition featuring previously unreleased tracks was released on 6 November 2020.
Critical reception
Professional ratingsReview scores |
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Source | Rating |
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The Newcastle Herald | ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) [1] |
Better in Blak received critical acclaim.[2]
Josh Leeson of The Newcastle Herald wrote: "Emotional, and unapologetically honest, the Indigenous artist addresses racism, sexism and her broken heart", adding, "Plum's voice is placed at the forefront of the mix, allowing the sparse indie-folk instrumentation to provide casual direction."[1]
Al Newstead from Triple J wrote that Better in Blak is "an album of healing, [and] transforming the pain and sadness of a dark few years into a courageous, self-assured debut album."[3]
Thomas Bleach described the album as "a collection of hard-hitting and thought invoking [sic] moments", and "one of the most impressive debuts of the year".[4] He also wrote that Better in Blak "embodies the different sides of her artistry in an honest and endearing way."[4]
Track listing
Better in Blak track listingNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Clumsy Love" | Thelma Plum | 3:07 |
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2. | "Don't Let a Good Girl Down" | - Plum
- Alexander Burnett
- Oli Horton
| 2:54 |
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3. | "Love and War" (featuring David Le'aupepe) | | 3:28 |
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4. | "Not Angry Anymore" | | 3:23 |
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5. | "Homecoming Queen" | | 3:51 |
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6. | "Better in Blak" | | 3:12 |
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7. | "Woke Blokes" | | 2:34 |
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8. | "Nick Cave" | | 2:45 |
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9. | "Thulumaay Gii" | | 2:50 |
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10. | "Ugly" | | 3:07 |
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11. | "Do You Ever Get So Sad You Can't Breathe" | Plum | 2:17 |
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12. | "Made for You" | | 3:30 |
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Total length: | 36:58 |
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Better in Blak anniversary edition track listingNo. | Title | Length |
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13. | "Body Do the Talking" | 2:26 |
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14. | "Clumsy Love" (St South remix) | 2:48 |
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15. | "Better in Blak" (Antony & Cleopatra remix) | 3:48 |
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16. | "Homecoming Queen" (Alice Ivy remix) | 4:28 |
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17. | "Clumsy Love" (Acoustic version) | 3:06 |
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18. | "Better in Blak" (piano version) | 2:44 |
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Total length: | 56:18 |
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Charts
Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for Better in Blak Chart (2019) | Peak position |
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] | 4 |
Year-end charts
2019 year-end chart performance for Better in Blak Chart (2019) | Position |
Australian Artist Albums (ARIA)[6] | 46 |
2020 year-end chart performance for Better in Blak Chart (2020) | Position |
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] | 87 |
Certifications
Certifications and sales for Better in Blak Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
Australia (ARIA)[8] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Release history and formats for Better in Blak Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label | Catalogue | Ref |
Various | 12 July 2019 | | Standard | Warner Music Australia | 5419704880 | [9][10][11] |
6 November 2020 | - Digital download
- streaming
| Anniversary Edition | Not applicable | [12] |
Australia | 12 November 2020 | LP | 5419708255 | [13] |
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
Australian Music Prize
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
2019 | Better in Blak | Album of the Year | Nominated | [16] |
J Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
2019 | Better in Blak | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated | [17] |
National Indigenous Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
2019 | Better in Blak | Album of the Year | Nominated | [18][19] |
Queensland Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
2020 | Better in Blak | Album of the Year | Won | [20] |
Notes
- ^ Plum was nominated for Best Cover Art for Emilie Pfitzner's artwork design.[15]
References
- ^ a b Leeson, Josh (16 June 2019). "Review: Better in Blak – Thelma Plum – 4 stars". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ Mack, Emmy (4 March 2020). "Thelma Plum & the Jungle Giants lead 2020 Queensland Music Awards winners". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ Newstead, Al (11 June 2019). "Better in Blak: Thelma Plum transforms trauma into triumph on her healing debut album". Triple J. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ a b Bleach, Thomas (11 July 2019). "Album Review: Thelma Plum – Better in Blak". Thomas Bleach. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Thelma Plum – Better in Blak". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "Australian Artist (ARIA) End of Year Albums Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Better in Blak". JB Hi-Fi. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Better in Blak (Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Better in Blak by Thelma Plum on Apple Music". Apple Music. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Better in Blak (Anniversary Edition) by Thelma Plum on Apple Music". Apple Music. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Better in Blak (Anniversary Edition LP)". JB Hi-Fi. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Awards: 2019 ARIA Awards Nominated Artists Revealed". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ a b "ARIA Awards: 2019 Fine Arts & Artisan Winners Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Boulton, Martin (6 March 2020). "AMP winner Sampa The Great creates history". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "J Awards: 2019". Triple J. 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "National Indigenous Music Awards unveils 2019 Nominations". National Indigenous Music Awards. July 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- ^ "Record Breaking Crowd for the 2019 National Indigenous Music Awards!". National Indigenous Music Awards. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ "Past Winners 2020". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
Studio albums | - Better in Blak
- I'm Sorry, Now Say It Back
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Extended plays | |
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Singles | |
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Authority control databases ![Edit this at Wikidata](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png) | - MusicBrainz release group
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