Ladyhawke - Wild Things

Singer Pip Brown is back with her latest and third album. Having absolutely loved her self-titled debut but not been a huge fan of her follow-up ‘Anxiety’, I’m excited to report that her latest LP is, to roll out a cliche, a return to form, a thoroughly enjoyable eleven track pop classic with more hooks than a fishmongers and so catchy it should come with a health warning.

‘A Love Song’ is a typical example of what makes the LP a great listen, a bouncy, pop hit that screams for radio play, sounding like some of the best songs on her debut. With some throbbing electronic moments and vocal trickery, its the central chorus that kicks off the album.

Continuing with ‘The River’ which begins with a great mix of drums and piano before switching up into another clutch of catchiness in the form of the bridge and chorus, with enough nonsense vocal calls to keep the most ardent Kaiser Chiefs fan happy.

The album’s title track comes next. ‘Wild Things’, the only song on the album to break past both the four- and five-minute barriers, begins gently with a surprisingly sombre sounding piano riff before morphing into a mid-tempo electionic ballad that, off-set against the buzzing introductions to the album, works really well, though Ladyhawke is always her best when things remain upbeat.

Track four ‘Let It Roll’ is my favourite song on the album, a foot-tapping fast-paced catchy pop song with a speedy verse and bridge that makes way for a huge and bouncy chorus, as Brown declares ‘too many lovers in a hotel room; they’re making plans to run away to the moon’ and launches a massive banger of a tune with plenty of tricks to keep things interesting.

The album continues to deliver after this. ‘Chills’ mixes up plenty of hooks together for another fun electro-pop number whilst ‘Sweet Fascination’ offers a fun swagger to its mid-tempo styling. ‘Golden Girl’ continues to offer sunny pop enthusiasm, whilst ‘Hillside Avenue’ becomes one of the next big highlights of the album, the mid-tempo feel of the track combined with a simplev but surprisingly memorable chorus make for a very listenable number, it’s reggae-tinged production style very good.

‘Money To Burn’ is an equally great follow-up, another one of my highlights of the album. Lyrically well put together it combines well Brown’s distinctive vocals and her electropop style.

Wrapping up the album is ‘Wonderland’ and ‘Dangerous’, both strong songs as the album reaches its conclusion. ‘Wonderland’ has quite possibly the best chorus on the album, making it one of the most perfectly composed pieces on the record. The throbbing ‘Dangerous’ ties things up well, its darker undertones offering a counterpoint to the perkier early numbers.

Stuffed to the rafters with catchy vocal and musical hooks this is Pip Brown’s best album to date and is the perfect pop-summer record to throw on in the car or at a barbeque. Loved it!