In many respects, Orla Gartland is the embodiment of a rapidly changing music industry – in which an artist can build themselves into one of their country’s most promising pop stars before they’ve even released an album.

That’s not to paint the Dublin singer-songwriter as some kind of overnight sensation, however. Over the past decade, she’s garnered over 22 million views across her YouTube channel, while also establishing a reputation as a serious recording artist on four EPs, and co-writing a track with BTS, one of the biggest bands in the world.

From her teen years through to her twenties, she’s grown, on her own terms, into an artist before our eyes  – and now she’s ready to present her irresistible brand of existential pop as a full-length project for the first time, with Woman On The Internet.

From the outset, Orla’s profound talents as a songwriter, and her unique ability to articulate the intricacies of what it means to be a young woman navigating the modern world, are on dazzling display, as she serves up ruminations that swing between uplifting and poignant.

Combining the earnestness of Taylor Swift – particularly on the opening track, ‘Things That I’ve Learned’ – with the quirky, eclectic touches of Regina Spektor, she’s carved out a path that speaks directly to a generation that’s not afraid to ditch labels, speak their truth, and go against the grain. She also refuses to be pigeonholed by genre, with ‘Over Your Head’ delving into a sound influenced by the stadium-filling pop-punk of Hayley Williams and Avril Lavigne.

There’s an unapologetic DIY ethos that flavours every part of Woman On The Internet, alongside touching personal moments, like the childhood audio recordings on the final track. Even so, the record feels polished enough to compete with big-name pop stars on the world stage. In fact, with fierce wit, clever wordplay, self-aware references, and bucketloads of heart, Orla offers irrefutable evidence of her position on the cusp of a major international breakthrough.

8/10