RELEASED 7TH FEBRUARY 2020

Favourite track: Otherside

Funky, futuristic but then also pays homage to the sound of the 80s.

I remember listening to La Roux’s hits ‘Bulletproof’ and ‘In For The Kill’ which had such a futuristic feel to them along with incredibly catchy lyrics. Her music is interesting and subverts our expectations of what could be classified as popular, mainstream radio music. Her voice is unique and her style is consistent – a strong look and short, boyish ginger hair. Her latest album, Supervision, has stuck with this futuristic theme and the cover art looks like a headshot from an old Star Trek film campaign. The album consists of 8 songs and I was keen to see what 2020 La Roux sounds like.

The first track ‘21^st Century’ opens with some synth keys and Funk beats. La Roux’s iconic sound comes through straight away. It’s a quirky song but I wasn’t totally amazed by it. ‘Do You Feel’ opens with bass guitar and a softer beat with some triangle noises here and there. The vocals on this one are slow and have a melody that works better here. ‘Automatic Driver’ has a drum-kit beat alongside some warped bass. This one is quite chill and you could have it on in the background as you’re getting ready or having a pamper session. ‘International Woman of Leisure’ is an interesting song title and opens with a Funk guitar, 80s style beat and ongoing synth that provides the melody. The vocals make it hard to decipher the lyrics but it does compliment the background music. The chorus where she says “I will not come knocking at your door” and “I can feel a change in the weather” sounds like it’s a break-up song or a song about a new beginning after a rough time.

The opening is incredibly Funk and 80s with the synth keys providing an upbeat, major melody in ‘Everything I Live For’. The chorus is catchy in this one for sure. ‘Otherside’ begins with some strummed dream guitar and drum-kit beats. I like the vocal work here and the chorus gets stronger and adds a depth element to it. ‘He Rides’ has a long instrumental opening before she starts singing. The structure takes on quite Pop feel but the song, like most of them in my opinion, is quite underwhelming. Compared to her old hits that really packed a punch and were filled with energy, this album doesn’t possess any song that matches that. The final track, ‘Gullible Fool’ has that echo-y, airy 80s vocal work alongside some electric piano backing as she repeats “I won’t believe in anything, I won’t believe in you”. It’s very soft and dreamy which is quite a nice ending to the album.

A decent album to have on the in the background as you’re getting on with other things as a lot of the songs sound similar and they are chill.