REVIEW: Kita Alexander releases second album 'RAGE'
Image: Kitty Callaghan
Published: 26 June 2026
After over ten years of releasing music, Australia’s Kita Alexander has risen to become one of Australia’s most critically acclaimed, and publicly loved, artists. But as she releases her second album RAGE, out today, what matters the most to her is reclaiming her power.
In a situation that is all too common for female musicians - and women everywhere - Alexander has spent most of her life suppressing her true feelings, emotions and instinct to fit into society’s expectation of how a woman should behave - the proverbial ‘good girl’
On RAGE, Alexander finally accepts her true self and lets all her emotions run free, sharing stories of her own life as well as the shared experiences of those around her. And as a result, she has found a new way of living her life openly.
“Rage has been the catalyst of positive change in my life over the last couple of years,” she says. “The album is about an emotion I’ve always had but never understood. It’s me looking at it and embracing it as a new friend and realising that I don’t have to shut it down or avoid looking at it. Rage has helped me find what truly matters to me and to change my life in ways that work for me.”
The album takes Alexander in a different sonic direction from her acclaimed 2024 debut album Young in Love. Recorded live in Byron Bay, no digital synths were used in its creation and the album has a raw, pared back feel with a quietness that makes its honesty all the more powerful. Its topics are at times heavy, from walking away from a relationship, recovering from abuse, and societal pressure.
The album opens with the country tinged ‘The Good House’ which examines how appearances can be deceptive - what goes on behind closed doors may be completely different from public appearances. Alexander sings of recovering what appears to be an abusive relationship: ‘I know I look fine but I’m not / Because I’m still trying to wash you off.’
‘Metal Detector Man’ is a gently swaying guitar pop song that continues with the theme of relationships falling apart told through the symbolic act of taking off a wedding ring: ‘It’s so easy to put on, it’s so hard to take off…I hope I don’t regret it.’
The album’s fourth single ‘Sentimental Letter’ has a hint of 1970s guitar-folk-pop to it and is a song of creative contradictions. Alexander’s vocal is beautifully gentle and restrained, backed by a chorus of ‘do-do-do-do’, but her lyrics are far more brutal as she dismisses a lover who has pushed her too far - ‘We can get together if you get your shit together’.
‘Worth It’ brings in a more rocky sound, teamed with some brass instrumentation, as Alexander asks for the respect she deserves - ‘A girl like me ain’t easy but I’m worth it’ - while ‘Avoidance’ slides into a smooth, soul soundscape as she sings of how avoiding facing your fears becomes detrimental to your mental health: ‘I’m collecting scars like souvenirs’.
On ‘Miss Australia’ Alexander explores both the myths and pressures of becoming ‘famous’, and the denigrations that are applied to women who become successful. With an eclectic soundscape that includes a ukulele, a discreet drum beat and a laid back pop feel, Alexander takes on the role of the titular superstar, who is predictably torn down by the critics - and also her own inner critic. ‘That pretty face is only going to get you so far…always my own worst enemy.’
“Tearing ourselves down to make ourselves smaller, more acceptable is no way to live,” Alexander says. “So at the end of the song I reclaim myself and allow myself to shine bright. I hope this song calls out this Australian-ism that most of us have... Why can’t we all be Miss Australia? Why can’t we lift each other up?”
Another country inflected track, ‘Low Rise Jeans’, sees Alexander celebrate the way she has changed for the better, but not everyone can see it. Following track ‘Don’t Call Me Sunshine’ is probably the closest the album gets to a traditional pop song, with an infectious, almost disco beat teamed with flashes of jazz..
The album closes with the semi-acoustic ‘Sunday Girl’. With a dreamy, almost lullaby feel, Alexander sings of the joys, and fantasy, of a never ending, magical Sunday where the world is impossibly perfect - ‘we fall in love before we change our mind’. It is a gorgeous way to end the album.
RAGE is a brilliantly crafted album where Alexander has taken a taboo topic - rage - and portrayed it in an unexpected way: with gentleness and calm. It is not a collection of songs that grabs you around the throat, but something much better in that it envelopes you in a wash of warm emotion. A high point for Alexander and proof she is one of Australia’s most creatively gifted young artists.
AUSTRALIA
12 September - Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
18 September - Metro Theatre, Sydney
19 September - Princess Theatre, Brisbane
24 September - The Gov, Adelaide
25 September - Rechabite, Perth
EUROPE + UK
14 October - Club 9, Utrecht, Netherlands
15 October - Nochtwache, Hamburg, Germany
16 October - Mikropol, Berlin, Germany
18 October - Yuca, Cologne, Germany
19 October - Pop Up Du Label, Paris, France
21 October - Kavka, Antwerp, Belgium
22 October - Oslo Hackney, London, UK
23 October - The Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK
RAGE is out now via Warner Music. You can buy and stream here.
Follow Kita Alexander on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
