Annie - Dark Hearts

Back in the early ‘00s, Annie was hot shit. Besties with fellow Norwegians Röyksopp, regularly teaming up with UK pop maestro Richard X, the singer’s star was on the ascendancy. Then… pretty much nothing. There’s long been enough of a latent interest in her for her first album in eleven years to be a great comeback. And yet. Breathy lead single ‘American Cars’, a Drive-era take on ‘70s odd bop ‘Warm Leatherette’ aside, ‘Dark Hearts’ is a whole lot of nothing. ‘The Streets Where I Belong’ appears to aim for ‘80s FM radio nostalgia, while the title track hints at cod reggae, ‘Forever ‘92’ borrows a smidgen of shoegazey guitars and ‘The Bomb’ a touch of trip hop. But with a lack of immediacy, paper-thin production and no discernible hooks throughout, for anyone still humming ‘Chewing Gum’ or ‘Heartbeat’, it’s a disappointment.