ALBUM REVIEW

11/02/2025 - Olly Alexander, Polari

Source: Olly Alexander Album Artwork.

Words By Jord Hailwood

Olly Alexander, formally known as the lead singer of one of the UK’s most successful electro-pop bands; Years and Years has finally released his debut album, Polari.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Polari is referred to as secretive language members of the queer community would use to communicate. Polari usage can be dated back to the sixteenth century but its main practice was in the 1900’s.

It goes without saying, Alexander is a key LGBTQ+ figure in the UK. In more recent years, he has been praised for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in 2021 series, ‘It’s a Sin’. Alexander’s performance was highly critically acclaimed.

Alexander has also faced criticism recently for partaking in the 2024 Eurovision contest. Members of the queer community have claimed Alexander’s participation in the competition contributes to a genocide. Because Alexander is widely known for his ongoing activism for marginalised communities, this decision came as a shock for a lot of people.

Back to Polari, I don’t think this album has a clear, set direction. I can appreciate the intention behind this project, was to create fun queer anthems and provide escapism and comfort for the community. But the album tends to fall flat and tasteless a lot throughout. A lot of the lyrics tend to be overly repetitive and I get the impression a lot of the storytelling is out of place, confused and incoherent.

Alexander unintentionally vocalised the experience perfectly on Cupids Bow when he sings “It’s too good to be true”. And I think that summarises it perfectly. Years & Years were at one point unstoppable hitmakers. Throughout the thirteen year length of the trio, they were able to create a substantial amount of hits under their belts such as ‘King’, ‘Take Shelter’, ‘If You’re Over Me’ and many more.

One thing I will never critique about Alexander is his talent. Despite the quality on Polari, failing to match the same lyrical and production standard as his previous bodies of work, Alexander is still consistently providing the same angelic harmonies that made the UK fall in love with his voice in 2014 when Years & Years released ‘Take Shelter’.

Polari does provide glimmers of hope. These snippets of nostalgia and direct queer joy and liberation can be heard especially on tracks, such as  ‘When We Kiss’ and ‘Make Me A Man’. When We Kiss is the type of song I’d love to hear playing in a gay club when I am dancing the night away, hoping to catch eyes with the guy I fancy on the opposite end of the dance floor. You can really tell Alexander had fun making this project, I don’t doubt that for a second.

Despite not being overly keen on my initial listens, I can acknowledge and appreciate what Alexander is paying tribute to. The album in some parts remains uncertain and confused, but the attempts to credit and showcase the queer community is always present. Nevertheless, this is a very exciting stepping stone into Alexander’s career. The only way is up!

Favourite tracks - When We Kiss, Make Me A Man and Miss You So Much

Rating - 3/5