Amelia & The Housewives - 'Amelia & The Housewives' Album Review
Tracklist:
Punchline
Spell
Wanted
Smile About It
You'll Never Know
Top Of The Pops
I Don't Know
Narcissist
Summer's Over
Time Will Tell
Slicing into autumn with their sunshine sword of indie pop, Brighton’s Amelia & The Housewives have released their self-titled debut album into the world, and it is joyous. Whilst this LP is fresh, it’s steeped in nostalgia, drawing elements from new wave, soul, sixties pop, and Britpop, as well as more modern artists such as The Pipettes.
There’s not so much a nod to this as a full-on headbutt to the face five tracks in, when ‘You’ll Never Know’ morphs into Blondie’s ‘Sunday Girl’ at the close. It’s far from derivative, but there is a sense of comfort in the musical and vocal style—something that’s already understood by the listener. The lyrics cut through that comfort like acerbic lime through a sweet margarita, providing a little bit of edge and making it something new. There are a couple of occasions where it’s maybe played a little safe in the first half of the record, but the second half has enough grit for everyone and is wall-to-wall bangers.
Each track is a concise, perfectly packaged parcel of pop, and while there are a smattering of songs that last longer than three minutes, the majority are around 160 seconds. In a world where creatives are given free rein to create great tomes, epic cinematographic masterpieces, or ten-minute musical noodlings, there’s something appealing about art being presented in easily digestible, bite-sized pieces. There’s a real skill in an artist being able to say everything they want to say in a concise manner, leaving the listener wanting more and never outstaying their welcome. Standout tracks include ‘Spell’—a highlight of the first half of the album and a bass-driven, Style Council-style soul song with shades of Bill Withers—and singles ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘Narcissist’, which sound like instant hits.
As debut albums go, this is a statement of intent from Amelia & The Housewives, and they are sure to make new friends wherever they go, so expect (and hope) to see gigs announced soon. In the meantime, the album is out now on INH Records; it will take less than an hour to listen to twice and less than two hours to listen to four times, which would be a great way for anybody to spend two hours. The penultimate song may be ‘Summer’s Over’, and that might be true, but the future’s looking bright for this lot.
Review - Jon Stokes
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