Charlotte Hatherley - New Worlds

Now on her third record, ‘New Worlds’ sees former Ash guitarist (not that this fact matters that much any more) Charlotte Hatherley forging her own path through a female dominated pop landscape and coming out very much on top. The watery atmospheres of her disappointing second LP ‘The Deep Blue’ are bolted onto the style of new-wave pop jolts that made up here brilliant debut album ‘Grey Will Fade’. The end result is possibly Charlotte’s most complete album yet. A pop record that’s not afraid to play with the listener and that doesn’t hide its idiosyncrasies.

The best example of Hatherley’s playful tenancies comes on the warped piano jingle that is ‘Firebird’, a song that would be pointless to describe and that you’ll really have to listen to. It forms the mid-point of the record and manages to follow the brilliant pop trio of ‘Alexander’, ‘Straight Lines’ and ‘New Worlds’, the first of which sounds most likely to be a certifiable hit for the lady, being along the same lines as first album classics such as ‘Bastardo’ and ‘Kim Wilde’.

As Charlotte a guitarist by trade it’s a pleasant surprise to not have her skills rammed down our throats for the entirety of the record. The lady has proved in the past that she can play extraordinarily well and doesn’t need to do so again here. That’s not to say that there’s a lack of decent guitar work (see the gentle intro to ‘Cinnabar’ that gradually builds into something a lot more powerful) but rather that she’s focused her efforts into crafting brilliant and memorable songs. With the new-wave influence it’s not surprising to say that it’s the bouncy rubbery baselines and clean keyboard squiggles that jump out at the listener, that this is true but never derivative is a testament to the lady’s talent in this area.

‘New Worlds’ in an individual pop vision that feels very contemporary and yet doesn’t shy away from it’s influences. What’s more in a time, where thanks to resources such as Spotify we’ve access to limitless music we’re electing to, once this record has finished playing (with an unnervingly abrupt ending) play it again immediately. It’s neither reinventing the wheel, nor is this pop music as a simple supermarket commodity item, it’s simply an enjoyably good record.