Australian golden girl Emma Louise has finally dropped her debut album, and what a wonderful little collection it is. Delicate, with a feel that isn't at times a thousand leagues from Bat for Lashes, she's nailed down the melodies among a dozen richly instrumented tracks. Stainache and Cages are simply standout examples of haunting songwriting, while Freedom shows that the lass can hit the mainstream just as hard. A debut to be proud of.
Oddly enough, Fallulah first came to our attention during her stint quite low down on the bill at last year's Isle of Wight Festival. The Danish-born purveyor of Scandi-pop was busy honing her Wounded Rhymes-inflected sound, though a little less darker. What stands out in Escapism is her knack for a melodic chorus, sweeping at times after a slow-burning hook. Deserted Homes and Mares provide such a solid one-two opening, which is built upon brilliantly with chart-friendly tracks like Dried-Out Cities and Your Skin. We approve so very much.
In their defence, we challenge anyone to follow up an album about John Delorean with another about Italian activist/publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli (a natural progression, obvs). We're not going to pretend to understand the complexities of this aural biography but, boldness aside, there's the typical Neon Neon 80s tint over the album, evident mostly in the brilliant Dr Zhivago. While it doesn't quite hit the success rate of Stainless Style, it's still so wonderfully bonkers you can't help but admire the ambition.