Nicole Faux Naiv
Moon Rally
(Bronze Rat)
★★★★

WRITTEN during lonely isolation in a Berlin apartment, Nicole Faux Naiv’s debut album is a wonderful set of dreamy synth pop.

Born to Soviet parents in a small town in Germany, Nicole grew up speaking both German and Russian — reflected here with two Russian language tracks (the rest are sung in English).

The singles Imaginary Boy and Moon Rally are both highlights but the whole set is full of hook-laden songs. She says she had all kinds of influences in her head when she recorded the album with producer Robbie Moore (Florence + The Machine, Little Simz): tracks like Afternoons and Tomorrow Was A Summer Day in 2001 contain New Order-style propulsive guitars and synthetic-sounding drums, while her vocals have a magical lightness to them that is reminiscent of New Zealand bedroom pop artist Princess Chelsea.

An exciting discovery.

Various Artists
Black Lives: From Generation to Generation
(Jammin’colorS)
★★★

CONCEIVED by Brussels-based producer and manager Stefany Calembert, this double album is a multinational, multigenre double album inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, powerfully giving a voice to those fighting against racism and for equality and social justice.

Rooted in the jazz idiom, the tracks run through a number of styles, including smooth soul (Phenomenon), hip-hop, blues, jazz-fusion (Back & Forth) and chunky rock riffs (Colored Man Singin’ The Blues!).

There is a righteous urgency to proceedings, from Oliver Lake channelling Gil Scott-Heron on the George Floyd-focused Pre-Existing Conditions (“Racism is America’s pre-existing condition”) to Sub Z’s rap on the in-your-face, clattering jazz-rock of Masters Of Mud (Shape Shifting).

With artists from the US, South Africa, Mali, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Togo, it’s an ambitious call to arms. Understandably angry but also full of positivity and hope.

Wet Leg
Wet Leg
(Domino)
★★★★

HAVING created a storm of media excitement with two singles last year, Wet Leg’s fantastic debut record is set to conquer the indie pop world in 2022.

Centred around Isle of Wight’s Rhian Teasdale (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Hester Chambers (backing vocals and lead guitar), the album is full of infectious tracks, laced with sass, dry humour and youthful angst.

“We want to be goofy and a little bit rude. We want to write songs that people can dance to,” Teasdale says.

They have achieved this in spades, from Wet Dream (“I was in your wet dream, driving in my car/Saw you at the side of the road, there's no one else around/ You're touching yoursеlf”) to the Mean Girls-quoting Chaise Lounge (“Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?”)

Irresistible tunes.