It might be nearly a decade ago, but the year 2012 would still go down in history as one of the most vital years for pop music.
It was the time when Rihanna released her now iconic seventh album Unapologetic (yes, she was still making music then), Frank Ocean his now classic Channel Ocean, and Lana Del Rey her fabulously fatalistic Born To Die. Apart from these established names, the then still relatively unknown Jessie Ware also came out with her debut Devotion.
Fresh from her collaborations with forward-thinking acts like SBTRKT and Sampha, the soulful English singer carved out her own solo path with a sophisticated take on electronic-tinged R&B, backed by a slew of graceful singles like Running, Wildest Moments and Night Light. Her second album, Tough Love, was an equivalently elegant undertaking, albeit marred by the 2017's rather anticlimactic, domestic life-themed Glasshouse.
Jessie Ware's latest offering, What's Your Pleasure?, arrives three years later after a diversion in her career (which saw her hosting a podcast with her mum). This time around, she refrains from wearing her heart of her sleeve, ditching the emotional baggage of her previous output and assuming the role of a luxe 70s disco party starter. While this is hardly a groundbreaking concept -- Madonna's done it on her 2005 Confessions On A Dance Floor -- Ware and producer James Ford (Depeche Mode, Haim, Gorillaz) have managed to make it sound fresh and current.
Opening track Spotlight leads with a soaring croon, providing a flashback to her old ballad days. Once the strings die down, the bass groove takes over and the mirror ball starts spinning. From this point on (save for The Kill and Remember Where You Are), the disco-house throb never quite lets up whether it's on the Italo beat-driven title track, the strutting confidence of Ooh La La and Read My Lips or the joyous Save A Kiss, whose music video is a celebration of the LGBTI community with which the genre is deeply associated.
The verdict: It's not often that an album would contain a potential hit one after another, but not only is What's Your Pleasure? an exception, it's also achieved that flawlessly. This is the sound of a woman empowered by her own sexual freedom all the while treating disco and its history with due reverence.
Quotable lyrics: "We are the last ones of our kind/ Freedom of our hearts and mind/ Yes, let our bodies testify/ And our spirits be entwined forevermore" (Remember Where You Are).
Listen to this: Spotlight, What's Your Pleasure?, Save A Kiss, Adore You.
THE PLAYLIST
Special Interest / Street Pulse Beat
Known for their bombastic blend of electronic, glam-punk rock and industrial, Special Interest have been amassing a bit of a cult following since their 2018 debut Spiraling. Street Pulse Beat, the latest cut from their second LP The Passion Of, finds the New Orleans queer four-piece taking their sound to the dizzying (and unapologetic) heights. "Won't you take my wild rough hands to the rhythm of the street pulse beat," offers vocalist Alli Logout atop a ferocious goth-punk throb. "I go by many names such as Mistress, Goddess, Allah, Jah, and Jesus Christ." It's all rather fantastic.
Rich Brian / Love In My Pocket
Chinese-Indonesian rapper Rich Brian must have been listening to Tame Impala a lot lately, because his new single Love In My Pocket sounds suspiciously like Kevin Parker has a hand in it. Be that as it may, it's still a summery banger -- one in which Brian lets loose and gets creative with his vocals. "I get chills when you leave my body/ I get chills when you're not inside me," he sings against a grooving bassline before laying down some rap verse about "feelin' sad and aroused" and how he's "a gentleman but spent a lot of time around freaks".
Electric.neon.lamp / Nee Pai
Indie-pop quintet Electric.neon.lamp return with a new single entitled Nee Pai (Get Away), a mid-tempo ode to the agonising aftermath of a breakup. Co-produced, mixed and mastered by all-around talent Mekk Machina, the song contains the Chiang Mai outfit's instantly recognisable guitar work, plus some of that old-school R&B groove employed by 80s revivalists like Polycat. "I just wanna get away/ Escape from the memories of you," offers frontman Jensakda Jarana. "Please, no more, seeing your photos there/ It still feels too real."
Disclosure (Feat. Aminé, Slowthai) / My High
English brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, also known as Disclosure, link up with rappers Aminé and Slowthai on their new cut My High. Lifted from their upcoming LP ENERGY, the track is a high-energy romp built on a frantic blend of house and hip-hop. "You was there standing all night/ Your heartbeat matching with the lights," Aminé leads the charge, followed by Slowthai's rowdy, tongue-in-cheek verse, "Like, can I have a look at your caramel? Tell your boyfriend, 'Gonna be home late'. " ENERGY is due out later next month and will feature a star-studded line-up of guest spots from Common, Kelis, Fatoumata Diawara, Kehlani and more.
Future Islands / For Sure
Only a few seconds into their new single For Sure and you can already bet that Future Islands are refusing to digress from their signature sound. The new song features the group's familiar driving guitars and bassline laced with new-wave synths and cinematic lyrics. "Perish the pain/ I was impoverished," frontman Samuel Herring offers with the usual dramatic vocal flair during the intro. "Scraping my knees and toes/ And blood, with me, rose/ Slow from the sea." The song marks their first since 2017's The Far Field, and could very well herald the arrival of their next studio full-length.
