Love Monster is the debut studio album by Australian alternative pop singer-songwriter Amy Shark. Shark said "I think I want to start explaining it like the first two seasons of a great series you've just found. It's full of so much drama. There's first loves, there's rejection and lies and beautiful moments and nasty moments and there's a death. It's a great series." The album was supported by an Australian national tour throughout August and September 2018. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, Love Monster won Album of the Year, Best Female Artist and Best Pop Release.
Singles
"I Said Hi" is the album's lead single, released on 13 April 2018. It reached the top 10 and peaked at #6 in Australia. The song is about overcoming adversity and a nod to perseverance. Shark explains: "It's about the struggle of the ups and downs of the industry. It hasn't been a complete Cinderella story for me from day one. It's taken a while." "Don't Turn Around" was originally released on 8 June 2018 as an album pre-order track, and was later confirmed as the album's second single. In a statement, Shark said: "It's a song that talks about the desire to run into someone you have feelings for, a history with who knows you too well." "Psycho" was released on 22 June 2018 as an album pre-order track and the album's third single. The song tells the emotional, relatable saga of vulnerability and the complications that often come with falling in love. The track features vocals from Blink-182 frontman and bassist, Mark Hoppus. "All Loved Up" was released to radio on 3 August 2018 as the album's fourth single. The following week, it was the most added song on radio. A single edit of "Mess Her Up" was released digitally on 1 March 2019 as the album's fifth single. The digital single included an acoustic version of the track. The album includes the single "Adore" from Shark's 2017 Night Thinker EP.
Reception
Madelyn Tait from The Music AU gave the album 4 out of 5 saying "With Shark seemingly unafraid of being vulnerable and exposing it all in her lyrics, Love Monster is full of super-specific storytelling that still seems universally relatable." adding the album is "full of memorable melodies, lyrical poetry and pop sensibility." Tait added "In terms of composition and production, Love Monster draws influences from several genres and styles, resulting in an interesting final product, bound together by Shark's distinct vocals." Cameron Adams from Herald Sun gave the album 4 out of 5 saying "Shark's power is intimate lyrics, littered with visual references that manage to be both personal and communal." David from auspOp gave the album 4 out of 5 saying Shark has "created a strong debut album" adding it "tackles all the experiences we have in life; love, loss, anger – it's all there." He concluded saying "It's really hard to get a debut album right, but Amy Shark has done a great job in creating a diverse, yet cohesive set."
