Clever, wry, humorous, refreshing, quirky, experimental pop and art rock from the Manchester-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Francesca Pidgeon and her revolving musical collective, a talented artist known also for playing in BC Camplight’s band. This is her second LP, following 2022’s debut, Tantrum, and is another with an ironic title, with themes here from turning 30 to the pressure of settling down and having a family, and love going wrong, while instead feeling a little different and alienated. There’s the influence of Andy Shauf and Harry Nilsson at play here, partcularly piano-led pop composition, and more synths as well as clever vocal layering and loops. The opener Fun cleverly plays on the having/not having situation with intricate timing, while another very original standout, Easy Does It, has echoes of Kate Bush and St Vincent with an oddball dipping bass and brassy lines. Stone is a perky, intricately rhythmic, staccato song about a dysfunctional relationship with a chaotic bang-crash middle eight (“Well our love is like a stone / It’s a solemn baritone/ No matter how many seeds I sow / Well a pebble cannot grow”). It’s the kind of album that offers more on every listen, filled with wonderful tricks, subtleties, changes of pace and lovely twisting melodies, such as on the heavily ironic, Nilsson/Camplight-esque title track, Cake or My Toothpaste Ajar, the bittersweet and also biting Honey with catchy chorus, or the apparently simple piano song I’m In Love With Falling In Love which has a real musical jazzy swing, decorated with woodwind. A sharp, humorous and very talented artist. Out on Launchpad+ / EMI North.
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