She Makes War, Brace For Impact - album review
What a fitting album title – this new record from multi-instrumentalist, producer, visual artist and all-round femme fatale She Makes War is as hard hitting as a two-handed slap.
It’s not loud like Florence Welch screeching, or brash like Rammstein scrubbing you all over with a Brillo pad soaked in vinegar. But what SMW, real name Laura Kidd, has in abundance is softly spoken attitude.
Think of that slurry of alt synth pop artists that found fame in the mid-00s, some for a one hit wonder slot while others for an album or two. We’re talking La Roux or Ladyhawke. There’s a lot of that hidden away in soft choruses or the odd rising melody.
But on top of that, SMW can throw in a sludgey guitar slam or an uplifting piano interlude to lighten the mood for a while.
These can be witnessed early on.
Opener Devastate Me features a delicious swirl of guitars throughout the verses that increase in ferocity during the choruses for a bone-jangling growl that would be unnerving in a Ringo Deathstarr sense if it wasn’t for her pitched pop vocals soothing you.
Strong Enough is where the piano stops by. Is it possible for a track on an album like this to sound like a hit for Irish songstresses The Corrs? Evidently so. It show’s Kidd’s versatility. She is no one-trick pony and really wows you with this one subtly fitting in between tracks much more rugged in make-up.
Weary Bird features an almost Pixies-esque guitar riff that dips in and out like the tired critter of the subject matter. The agitated chorus fits the mould too. Guitar lovers, get listening to this track now, you’ll lap it up like a kitten with a saucer of the creamiest milk.
There’s something scary about the combined guitars of Love This Body. It’s haunting how it weaves together before falling away for the pre-chorus and then smashing back into life like a rollercoaster that had momentarily dipped underground out of view.
There’s a lot to like here. Creativity oozes out of it. While a couple of tracks can fade into the background a bit, its stronger numbers mentioned do more than enough to keep you listening.
Rating: 7/10
She Makes War appears at Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds on October 31
