It’s been a minute since we heard from La Roux. The English two-piece consisting of Elly Jackson and her oft-overlooked producer Ben Langmaid busted out in 2008 and there was much furore on both sides of the pond over their self titled debut album. Who could forget Elly’s turn in the knightrider-esque video for In For The Kill, a glorious 80’s sounding track that harkened back to the Human League and Depeche Mode, whilst also somehow managing to make synthpop feel fresh and relevant again going into the 2010’s. Since winning a Grammy in 2011 La Roux has been conspicuously quiet; to say we are excited to hear the new record is an understatement.
Rumor has it that Ben has essentially left the band, but he did have a hand in the production of the album and we can’t help thinking that the album’s title ‘Trouble in Paradise’ might have something to do with the rift. On first listen, the album has a lot of great moments, from whispery ballad Let Me Down Gently, to the distinctly ‘Another One Bites the Dust’-esque bass-line of ‘Uptight Downtown’ (released as a single in May) to Tropical Chancer, which features a reggae beat, steel drums and talks about a holiday romance with ‘that guy’. Cruel Sexuality is one of Elly’s most experimental tracks to date, dancing over an improbable number of scales, and Kiss and Not Tell has a wonderfully jaunty vaudeville style piano hook and a tone of abandoned cheerfulness. There are a couple of bum notes on the album; Paradise is You, a love song disguised as a fantastical vision of heaven, which in spite of the lofty title is one of the more mundane numbers on offer, and The Feeling which feels like a take off of ‘80’s British popstar Jimmy Somerville and lacks the bounce of other tracks on the album. Nevertheless, on the whole Trouble in Paradise reflects signs of increasing diversity and maturity in the songwriting and production. The album drops in mid August and will be supported by some US dates.
Our two standouts: ‘Sexotheque’, a timeless ode to relationship problems with a modern theme and stupidly catchy chorus and ‘Tropical Chancer’.