On June 3, Ladyhawke released her third album, Wild Things, on Polyvinyl Records. The new album is missing the alternative edge of Anxiety and will probably be lost amongst the sea of mundane pop records.
The album begins with a light, superficial sound that carries through most of the album. There are some extremely timid beats on songs like “The River” and “Chills” that have all the originality of every other pop princess on the scene. The music seems to be less expressive with overuse of an 80’s synthesizer. It comes off as artificial, likes she’s trying to fit in instead of being herself.
A few songs towards the end of the album are more reminiscent of the last album. “Hillside Avenue” is a pretty tune with a fun tempo and she sings “Dangerous” in a minor key with an upbeat rhythm that has a more alternative feel. However, they’re not enough to save the album from dual and tri-tone vocals on songs, like “Let It Roll,” that have no real melody.
I was a big fan of Anxiety, so I was greatly looking forward to this album. I feel like I was let down. It left a much shallower impression on me than its predecessor. We can only hope her albums improve from here.