La Roux - Supervision

When we last saw La Roux, back in 2014 with second full-length ‘Trouble In Paradise’, the immaculately-tailored musician was lounging around ‘70s disco, taking the pop nous of her self-titled debut and adding a layer of sun-kissed sass. Six years on, Elly Jackson can still be found in the decade that taste forgot - but there’s a spark missing. At its best (‘International Woman Of Leisure’, ‘21st Century’) ‘Supervision’ evokes vintage TOTP2 performances, neon lights and spangly lycra included. Its worst, however, has the likes of ‘Automatic Driver’ and ‘Otherside’ sounding more Phoenix Nights, as if she’s just pressed play on an old keyboard preset. In the middle ground, then, it’s all largely inoffensive and wholly listenable. Which is fine, but we’ve come to expect more from La Roux.