LADYHAWKE
Ladyhawke
(MODULAR) A+

After just one listen to songs like Back Of The Van and Paris Is Burning, it’s obvious that the synths and guitar licks of the 80’s have played an integral part in the formation of Ladyhawke’s sound. Yet, it’s the way that New Zealand-born Pip Brown reinvents these inspirations that give her debut, self-titled long player a seriously modern feel. It could have very easily been a record filled with rock-and-roll homages. Instead, Brown takes the little pieces of musical history that have left a mark on her and steamrolls them into her own territory. More importantly, Brown’s lyrics come across as ones being penned by a helpless disco romantic; she coos and strums her way through lyrics of love and its losses, all whilst the infectious basslines, spiky synths and guitar riffs add colourful layers onto her already stunning libretto.

Magic dramatically opens things by borrowing elements of sound from Giorgio Moroder’s The Chase, combined with a stirling chorus of “I’ve left my heart to you but it’s not fair / One journey for you but it’s worth it, one life here with me and it’s magic.” Manipulating Woman bares somewhat of a resemblance to Cyndi Lauper’s sometimes forgotten about classic The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough, whilst retaining a Roxette flavour come chorus time. It’s upfront and very satisfying; Brown also sounds like she has a lot of fun with it.  With its Kids In America styled intro, My Delirium is an enthralling, pulsating monster of a concoction which throws together Pat Benatar’s All Fired Up with vintage Madonna. The lyrics are tragically stunning; “Hey, you’re playing with my delirium, and the more that I wait the more that I’m gonna fall. Stop, playing with my delirium. Coz I’m outa my head and out of my self control.” Brown’s penmanship strikes an even sharper chord into your heart with the urgency in her delivery of the line “I won’t eat and I won’t sleep for you/no rest till I get through/am I the only one that’s insane?” Laying the essence and torture of an unrequited love bare naked on the table, this is an absolute pearler. A potential single that was co-written by Hannah Robinson.

Better Than Sunday continues Brown’s theme of meticulously crafted lyrics. “I can’t walk the line, I can’t see the time, I’m falling out of view, I’m sinking into you/I’m leaving Monday, it’s better than Sunday/I’m feeling younger, it’s better than wiser.” This is the real, bonafide and unashamed big pop moment on the record as well that has potential single written all over it. Probably the best track on here. Another Runaway is ridiculously charming, with its Bugles-loving (thanks Jess!) riff dominating through the track, giving it a deceivingly chirpy lining. Love Don’t Live Here is another of those gorgeously crafted heartbreaker songs: “Love don’t live here anymore, lonely hearts are always wanting more, but only parts of mine were so unsure/bleeding hearts have always known no law, but love don’t live here anymore.” And then there’s that stunning middle-8 which - quite magically - appears again in truly epic proportions for the songs final 50 seconds, which only match the beauty of those final 30 seconds of The Presets‘ This Boy’s In Love. Both of these tracks come complete with a sharp, biting and immediately memorable almost-talky-bit closing the deal.

Back Of The Van, produced by Van She’s keyboarding (not in a WPM sense) genius Michael Di Francesco, is Pip’s BIG Stevie Nicks moment. Some may say the chorus is repetitive, but the desperate pleas; shouting “you set me on fire” over and over again serve their most forceful purpose only by their repetition. One of the best singles of the year that comes complete with a darling middle-8.  Follow up single Paris Is Burning then appears, detailing a night of mayhem through the mysterious streets of Paris by night; the city of love. “My heart is yearning/but Paris is burning” sings Brown, almost as if to say that, whilst Paris screams for her, she has to deal with the fact that there is no time for matters of the heart. Mayhem and debauchery have other plans in sight. Oh, and how explosive is that off-the-hook middle-8 and the ending that follows?

Professional Suicide is only one of two moments on the record not to deal with some sort of love theme. Brilliantly, it gives the record a much needed injection of darkness, especially with its rocky, Courtney Love-inspired guitar riffs. It delivers a truly sinister and exciting moment on the record, complete with the cheeky lyric “I see you had a hit in ‘89, too bad we don’t all age as good as wine.” Brilliant! Current single Dusk Till Dawn disguises itself as a shadows-in-the-dark Kim Carnes Crazy In The Night-esque pop song, but lyrics like “I hear footsteps in the dark when, you hijack my heart” certainly allude to something else ‘underneath the surface’, wouldn’t you agree? I just love the way she says “dawn” in the chorus too; it’s so endearing, and for that reason alone, this was the perfect choice for single number three. It’s clever, cute, and intensely accessible. Another Hannah Robinson co-write.

The energy notch is brought down a few levels for closers Crazy World and Morning Dreams, with their ethereal like approach to glittering rock and electronic balladry respectively. Lots of luscious blips and blops going on here.

When I played the record to my best friend Ben last week, he - stunned at its brilliance - told me “it’s like the album I’ve been waiting all my life for.” Production wise, this is remarkably sharp. It’s as relevant and thorough as the written word on offer.  And the lyrics; oh, those lyrics! Put to paper like a true disco romantic, a phrase I keep mentioning in this review. I completely get these songs. I get lost in the lyrics. I understand almost violently what Brown sings in each and every single lyric across the record; I’ve felt that, my heart has felt all of that at one time or another. It’s easy to associate so many of her preciously crafted words to something in your life because they harbour so much feeling. They’re real, they’re vulnerable. Just like us. And that’s why having disco romantics like Ladyhawke and, for that matter, Dan from Cut Copy, placing their heart-filled musical visions out there for the world to absorb, is such an important and vital thing to have in pop music right now.

Ladyhawke’s debut album is more than just a brilliant collection of songs. It’s the worlds introduction to an alarmingly passionate lyricist whose words double as poignant poetry dealing with matters of the heart.

UPDATE: XOlondon has gone from feeling ‘meh’ about Ladyhawke to absolutely loving her. Read.

Ladyhawke is released this Saturday, the 20th of September in Australia. Pre-order your copy on iTunes (digital) or JB-HiFi (physical) by clicking either link. For info on global release dates, visit Ladyhawke’s MySpazz page, or the legendary Modular Mod-Blog.