Intimacy and invention guide the chameleonic songbook of Meg Washington, the classically trained Brisbane musician who first graduated from jazz to alt-pop and has regularly tweaked both her sound and stage name in subsequent years. Her 2010 debut album I Believe You Liar showcased soaring, piano-led pop with a definite irreverent streak, earning her two ARIA Awards at that early stage. The following year’s single “Holy Moses” circled back to zippy jazz flourishes, while 2014’s There There contrasted bright pop confection with moving piano ballads. Enlisting Japanese Wallpaper’s Gabriel Strum for much of the production on 2020’s Batflowers, Washington embraced synths and electronics to bolster her reliably animated tunes. But her lyrics remain darker and more personal than those effervescent hooks first let on, inviting us to gradually peel back the layers as we listen.