Better in Blak

Better in Blak is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Thelma Plum, released on 12 July 2019 through Warner Music Australia.

Better in Blak achieved commercial success, peaking at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and winning two awards: Best Cover Art at the 2019 ARIA Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2020 Queensland Music Awards.

An anniversary edition featuring previously unreleased tracks was released on 6 November 2020.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
The Newcastle Herald

Better in Blak received critical acclaim.

Josh Leeson of The Newcastle Herald wrote: "Emotional, and unapologetically honest, the Indigenous artist addresses racism, sexism and her broken heart", adding, "Plum's voice is placed at the forefront of the mix, allowing the sparse indie-folk instrumentation to provide casual direction."

Al Newstead from Triple J wrote that Better in Blak is "an album of healing, [and] transforming the pain and sadness of a dark few years into a courageous, self-assured debut album."

Thomas Bleach described the album as "a collection of hard-hitting and thought invoking [sic] moments", and "one of the most impressive debuts of the year". He also wrote that Better in Blak "embodies the different sides of her artistry in an honest and endearing way."

Track listing

Better in Blak track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Clumsy Love"	Thelma Plum	3:07
2.	"Don't Let a Good Girl Down"	PlumAlexander BurnettOli Horton	2:54
3.	"Love and War" (featuring David Le'aupepe)	PlumRoss JamesLe'aupepe	3:28
4.	"Not Angry Anymore"	PlumBurnettHorton	3:23
5.	"Homecoming Queen"	PlumBurnettHorton	3:51
6.	"Better in Blak"	PlumBurnettHorton	3:12
7.	"Woke Blokes"	PlumBurnettHorton	2:34
8.	"Nick Cave"	PlumBurnett	2:45
9.	"Thulumaay Gii"	PlumBurnettHorton	2:50
10.	"Ugly"	PlumBurnettHorton	3:07
11.	"Do You Ever Get So Sad You Can't Breathe"	Plum	2:17
12.	"Made for You"	PlumDavid Kahne Paul Kelly Paul McCartney	3:30
Total length:	36:58

Better in Blak anniversary edition track listing
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Body Do the Talking"	2:26
14.	"Clumsy Love" (St South remix)	2:48
15.	"Better in Blak" (Antony & Cleopatra remix)	3:48
16.	"Homecoming Queen" (Alice Ivy remix)	4:28
17.	"Clumsy Love" (Acoustic version)	3:06
18.	"Better in Blak" (piano version)	2:44
Total length:	56:18

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Better in Blak
Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	4

Year-end charts

2019 year-end chart performance for Better in Blak
Chart (2019)	Position
Australian Artist Albums (ARIA)	46

2020 year-end chart performance for Better in Blak
Chart (2020)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	87

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Better in Blak
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for Better in Blak
Region	Date	Format	Edition	Label	Catalogue
Various	12 July 2019	CD LP digital download streaming	Standard	Warner Music Australia	5419704880
6 November 2020	Digital downloadstreaming	Anniversary Edition	Not applicable
Australia	12 November 2020	LP	5419708255

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2019	Better in Blak	Album of the Year	Nominated
Best Cover Art	Won
Best Female Artist	Nominated
Best Pop Release
Breakthrough Artist

Australian Music Prize

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2019	Better in Blak	Album of the Year	Nominated

J Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2019	Better in Blak	Australian Album of the Year	Nominated

National Indigenous Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2019	Better in Blak	Album of the Year	Nominated

Queensland Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2020	Better in Blak	Album of the Year	Won