Florrie - The Lost Ones

‘The Lost Ones’ has been a long time coming. After some behind the scenes action as Xenomania’s in-house drummer, Florrie burst into the 2010s with her own string of pop bangers. This was a star in the making. And then she vanished – pop’s fickle, whirlwind nature striking again. Not content with leaving her story there, debut album ‘The Lost Ones’ is Florrie’s resurrection. But this isn’t the same Florrie. After setbacks, heartbreaks, and reflection, ‘The Lost Ones’ feels a far cry from the rapturous ‘Left Too Late’. But it’s almost to the record’s detriment. What felt so exciting about her early singles was how unpredictable they could be – a disco ball rattling around in a mine cart. 

Here, everything feels a little too polished, the edges sanded down a little. There’s no denying Florrie’s songwriting and vocal talents. The longing drips from every word on ‘Kissing In The Cold’, while the euphoric ‘Looking for Love’ brings glimmers of that crying-in-the-club energy. But the production, trying but struggling to capture the Max Martin and Denniz Pop magic, makes many tracks feel indistinguishable. There’s very little in the way of surprise. ‘Get You Back’ does break free of that, as spiky and fun as any of her early 2010s singles. And, with its lively percussion and Florrie’s voice in total command, ‘If It’s Been A Hard Night’ offers plenty more of the old Florrie. But the problem is compounded by the appearance of ‘I Took A Little Something’, a re-record of one of those early tracks. It bursts with energy from the get-go. Shimmering, intoxicating, pure pop, still filled with all that emotion. By placing it in ‘The Lost Ones’, it’s a reminder of how great she can be at finding that sweet spot where both crisply-defined emotions sit side-by-side with out and out bangers. But in the same breath it also spotlights the vibrancy that’s missing. The razor sharp emotions, wielded with such skill, are still here, but that heady, exhilarating sound seems to have been lost along the way. Chris Taylor
LISTEN: ‘Get You Back’