In 2014 Foxes released her debut album ‘Glorious’. It took pop music, added in a whole bunch of quirks and an edge, and went on to be one of the best albums of the year. Her Kate Bush-esque dramatic sound, laid over huge pop hooks and dirty electronic beats separated her from so many others around at the time. Add to that her own distinctive look, that went on to her launching her own fashion brand. Over the last few months, Foxes has been releasing new tracks ahead of her second album ‘All I Need’. We’d already heard a handful of the new tracks, so on its release it already felt really familiar. Leading single ‘Body Talk’ came out all the way back in June of last year, so nine months later it feels like the album has been a long time in the coming.
What made ‘Glorious’ so, well…glorious was its instant nature. Each of the tracks ingrained itself in your head within the first listen, and never lost their sparkle. As the release of album number two approached, I like many other fans listened keenly for new songs as they were released. My initial response to these songs? Well, indifference initially. But being a fan, I gave each one a few more listens. And I’m glad I did. ‘All I Need’ may have taken slightly longer to get on board with than ‘Glorious’ did. But now I am, I’m fully obsessed.
The dramatic sound of her last album is gone, and has been replaced with a far more straight forward pop sound. But she is still far cooler than other pop stars around, and does what Years & Years and Taylor Swift have also been doing; making pop music credible. Most of the songs included are upbeat, and great to dance to. ‘Wicked Love’ and ‘Money’ are the two tracks that stand out the most, are as catchy as they are funky. With such an influx of new pop acts, especially by female artists, its even more important than ever to create something above a cut of the rest. Throughout the course of listening to the album to write this review, I I have gone back to these songs again and again, and they never get boring. They are the most unashamedly full on pop tracks on the album. Recent singles ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ and ‘Better Love’ also sound great, and fit well in amongst the new tracks.
‘Devil’s Side’ is a prime cut from the album, and is unlike anything else she has put out in the past. It’s darker, both lyrically and in its production. Just when you think you’ve heard everything she has to offer, she throws in a track like this. It’s the sign of an original and exciting artist. But it’s those tightly produced tracks her stand her above her contemporaries. Each song on the album throws something else into the mix. ‘Cruel’ has a chilled our reggae vibe, whilst ‘On My Way’ is a beautiful piano-lead ballad that shows off her huge vocals in away that matches the slowed down version of ‘Clarity’ from her last album.
It was a huge dance track that brought Foxes to most people’s attention. So all credit to her to constantly coming up with something new. It can often be difficult to follow up such a huge debut. You know what they say about that difficult second album. But Foxes has made it look easy.
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