The Breakdown
Anglo-Irish artist KEELEY returns with her explosive third album, Girl On The Edge Of The World.
Jangly and atmospheric, veering between grunge-edged intensity and ethereal, fuzz-soaked pop, the album occupies familiar dream-pop-meets-rock terrain while pushing further into richer, stranger, and more immersive territory than her previous releases. Drawing comparisons as readily to Cocteau Twins and early Slowdive as to The Cranberries and Blondie, KEELEY moves through reverb-drenched guitar tones, swirling modulation, and bright drums with a strong sense of identity and purpose. Her vocal delivery is pointed, expressive, and unmistakably her own.
Produced by Alan Maguire, the album features bassist Lukey Foxtrot and former Morrissey drummer Andrew Paresi, alongside two very special guest vocalists: Miki Berenyi (Lush, Piroshka, MB3) and Sice (The Boo Radleys), both of whom KEELEY has supported on tour across the UK over the past year.
Opening track ‘Hungry For The Prize’ immediately establishes a palpable sense of momentum beneath its atmospheric production and biting guitar tones. KEELEY’s commanding vocals feel defiant yet whimsical, setting the emotional tone for the record. Elsewhere, ‘Crossing Lands’ leans into a sprawling post-punk edge, while ‘Trains & Daydreams’ and the downtempo ‘London Underground’ drift toward a more weightless, ethereal space.
Standout track ‘Who Wants To See The World’ fully embraces an ’80s shoegaze and dream-pop palette, while the title track ‘Girl On The Edge Of The World’ offers a refreshingly spacious blend of subtle electronics and delicate melancholy.
Thematically, Girl On The Edge Of The World unfolds as an art-rock concept album — what Moss describes as “a film for the ear.” The narrative is voiced from the perspective of teenage German explorer Inga Maria Hauser, whose unsolved murder in Northern Ireland in 1988 casts a long shadow over the record. Moss’s engagement with Inga’s story is neither cursory nor sensationalist, but the culmination of over a decade of research, advocacy, and memorialisation through writing, broadcasting, and documentary work, making this album the most fully realised musical expression of that ongoing mission.
The emotional core of the record lies in its refusal to define Inga by her death alone. Instead, it foregrounds vitality, curiosity, and the thrill of movement, presenting her as a young woman on the cusp of discovery. Themes of freedom, innocence, and wonder sit in tension with an underlying sense of fragility and foreknowledge, giving the album its distinctive balance of grit and drive alongside a deeply felt, almost whimsical emotional resonance.
Expansive and atmospheric, shaped by heavy use of delay and reverb, the album never loses its intensity. Distorted guitars, angular melodic choices, and the gritty texture of KEELEY’s vocals lend it a raw, garage-rock immediacy that feels intentional rather than unpolished. Girl On The Edge Of The World is KEELEY’s most immersive and alluring work to date, of that there is no question. It’s a record that demands patience and rewards it with profound emotional and (effortlessly cool) aesthetic richness. The 12 track succeeds both as a powerful musical statement and as an act of memorial, packing depth both in its lyricism and admiral musicality.
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