Louise Aubrie is a London-born musician who splits her time between her hometown and New York City. Her third album, Late 44, brings together indie post-punk roots with rock and pop melodies, the kind of which might remind listeners of other female-led punk bands from the United Kingdom.
Tom Edwards (guitars), Boz Boorer (guitars), Joe Holweger (bass), David Ruffy (drums and percussion), James Knight (piano and keys), and Aubrie have created a signature sound that comes through clearly very early on. It is defined by driving guitars, a steady and simple drum line, and sweet vocals, the confidence of which makes it for the most part fit seamlessly in a genre typically associated with harsher ones. Things remain varied enough thanks mainly to thoughtful lyrics that touch on the joy and pain of relationships and on personal empowerment.
The energetic “Masterstroke” kicks things off, sticking to the above-mentioned sound like glue. While Aubrie’s dynamic voice easily follows the melody high and low, there are times she can’t quite keep up. Interestingly enough, this strain feels like part of the journey by adding another layer, however subtle, to the stories being told.
Some of the album’s standout features include distorted electric guitars on “Tearjerker” and “One False Move”, a country flavour to “Perfect Battle Cry”, and the five complete, seconds-long breaks in “Too Late” that give it a certain cheekiness. Other highlights include the stripped nature of the aptly named “Next to Nothing”, and the slower tempo in “Candlelight”, “One False Move,” and “Kiss of Life”, the latter being the darkest of the set. Aubrie finishes things off with a complete flip: “Please Don’t Touch” is built on a throbbing drum line rather than on electric guitars.
While the album, which is set to be released in mid-July, comes off as homogenous, the familiarity of the tracks’ melodies give listeners the comfort needed to focus on the lyrics. Songs are available for streaming on SoundCloud. More information about Louise Aubrie is available on her official website.
Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.
First published here on Blogcritics.