With her first music since 2019’s acclaimed album forevher, the British singer-songwriter and producer Alexandra Denton returns with a third LP, one that embraces melancholy and addresses the self, capturing six years of uncertainty with a gentle, intelligent perspective, wrapped in refined, matured indie, pop, folk and Americana. The album image artwork, photographed on a hill in Wales, references the French novella The Little Prince, which follows a young boy who sets out to explore other planets to cure his loneliness, and while themes of depression and loneliness are explored, it’s a sensitive, subtle, uplifting experience, with a hue of dry humour, and much of the album was recorded live, with the keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums often tracked as a single performance, with vocals added later into the mix. There’s always a gentle hue of dry humour, with lines such as: “If I die at least I don’t have to pick out a shirt to wear” (Bad Kid), or on another of the standouts, Recognise: “Who said being sad is not a crime?/ 'Cause I'm bad so I lock myself inside/ (With a coffee and a good book)/ Ooh, is it selfish? I'm not sure/ Good god, I would do it all again”. Another, World’s Worst Girlfriend is unflinchingly self-deprecatory, but also a infectiously catchy light funk. In Tokyo she’s crying on the back seat of a taxi and going to a party where she doesn’t belong. In America “yesterday the cops, they killed a man again / And nobody was surprised”. Richardson, referring to a street, featuring Cassandra Jenkins, explores the idea of solitude and “conversations in my imagination”. But while there’s much melancholy, the music is a rich, restrained bubbling, refined stylish funk pop, particularly on the final three tracks, the first two even have glints of optimism, Ringpull, and If You Don’t Believe In Love (with Helado Negro), before Bad Kid (with Becca Mancari), with another double-edged line - “I wanna wash it all away.” There’s certainly enduring despair pouring out the sadness, but also musically doing so like a finely matured wine. Out on Play It Again Sam.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new songs and albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: