GENRE; POP/R&B
LABEL; Transgressive
RATING; 7.2
Jenny on Holiday’s debut solo album, Quicksand Heart, released on January 9, 2026, via Transgressive Records, marks a vibrant pivot for Jenny Hollingworth, one-half of the experimental pop duo Let’s Eat Grandma. Stepping away from the duo’s surreal, shadowy edges, Hollingworth embraces an ‘80s-inspired synth-pop palette brimming with euphoric hooks and nostalgic gloss. Produced by Steph Marziano (known for work with Hayley Williams), the record fizzles with electric ecstasy, channeling childlike wonder and unapologetic desire amid life’s messier undercurrents.
The album opens with a rush of shoegazing synths and rippling piano riffs, evoking sophistipop acts like Prefab Sprout. Standouts like “Every Ounce of Me” bridge bittersweet bounce between Olivia Rodrigo’s confessional edge and the Waterboys’ folk-tinged uplift, delivering transcendent melodies that stick. “Good Intentions” showcases Hollingworth’s soaring vocals, raw and convincing, as she grapples with purpose and vulnerability: “I need a purpose for living,” she confesses amid shimmering layers. The closer, “Appetite,” builds to a rousing power ballad, chanting “I’m chewing you up” like a Mary Oliver poem incarnate—gluttonous for experience, refusing apology.
Yet, not all tracks sparkle; some plod through retro homages, feeling flatter than Let’s Eat Grandma’s innovative twists. The production’s unassuming repetition can border on unobtrusive, lacking the duo’s dramatic flair. Still, Quicksand Heart shines as self-actualization pop: intimate, sentimental, and revitalizing. It’s a safe haven of small joys, pointing to blue skies while honoring loss. In a post-trauma world, Hollingworth’s frank clarity and passionate delivery make this a heartfelt, if polished, escape. At its best, it’s as good as synth-pop gets—bright, melancholy, and utterly human.
