Roisin Murphy is still hypnotic, after an eight-year hiatus [Review]
Soulful songstress Roisin Murphy has released her third full-length album, Hairless Toys, after an eight-year hiatus, and it's an agglomeration of hypnotising sounds.
With evocative lyrics that give off an aggressive vibe, the album's running theme is internal struggle.
Murphy tries some musical experiments, and occasionally they work out, like the quaint but catchy Uninvited Guest. But in tracks like Exploitation, the high frequency sound waves are just jarring to the ear.
However, not all her work is so avant-garde. She slows things down in Exile and jazzes them up in House of Glass. Things get even more vulnerable in the title track, where she croons about an unfair relationship. Unputdownable is about an unpredictable, obsessive relationship. Evil Eyes is the album's best track: the instrumentation is intricate, and pairs perfectly with Murphy's wispy voice.
This album is an acquired taste, but one that packs a punch and is anything but generic.