Lost Girls: Bat For Lashes: Review
is a British indie pop singer who has been releasing records for over ten years now with some hits under her belt but a generally underrated discography to back it up. After dropping a number of well received singles for this record she has the potential to drop her most commercially successful record in years.
Review By Lavender:
For over a decade now Bat For Lashes has been releasing pretty consistently solid indie pop music with much less recognition than she deserves. While her discography isn't perfect records like Two Suns and The Bride are fresh and enjoyable takes on the sound she's made her name in. With her last record 2016's The Bride being a particularly thematic look at marriage I quite enjoyed what she had to offer on the record both lyrically and sonically and I was looking forward to this record. I didn't really expect Lost Girls to blow me away but after some solid singles I was mostly anticipating yet another solid release in her discography with some bangers, some intimate tracks, and maybe a miss or two. Ultimately that's exactly what we got.
There were five singles released in the lead up to the record and they serves as the first half of the album, many of which I enjoyed. Kids In The Dark is a wailing shoegazey drama filled chamber pop song that I love as an opener. Natasha's vocals are front and center in the track and execute a ton of passion despite her reservation which makes it an intriguing song from start to finish. The Hunger has a compelling instrumental that sounds like a new wave song getting remixed by Beach House. I'm not quite as enamored with the vocals here specifically on the verses where everything is echoed by backing vocals that are often just as impassioned as the leads. Thankfully the chorus is much better and the bridge that guides the song out is a pretty cool moment and absolutely crucial to making the songs five minute runtime work.
Feel For You is probably my favorite of the singles with this killer jungle rhythm that is just insanely catchy paired with some wild blaring synths flying through the mix is wild directions. Not to mention the short but very catchy refrain she ties around most of the track it has a simple foundation but works really well and ultimately is a really good track. Jasmine was the final single and another one I really enjoyed as it is effectively a dream pop banger with a killer beat and some intimate whispered verses that are sensual and ethereal. The hook has some horror show reverb that is a little bit silly but ultimately the song is one I enjoy and one that helped me get excited for the record.
The only single I didn't like from the lead up to the album was Desert Man which features a build that isn't at all rewarding and never really goes anywhere even once it's hit its peak. The hook is just straight up flat and really needed some more punchiness to make it a worthwhile moment.
The second half of the record also has some moments that I would like to forget and overall isn't quite as consistent as the first half. So Good is a corny and slow moving ballad, while not a terrible song this is a nostalgic 80's sound that has just been done so many times before and I'm not really hooked on the nostalgic feelings. Safe Tonight is in competition with Desert Man for the most boring song here with an instrumental that adds absolutely nothing to an already underwhelming vocal performance for a song that is drab all around. Mountains is the closing song and a little bit of a step up from the last two songs with vocals that are cleaner and poppier but still just more captivating. The song starts off very slow but once it introduces some extra instrumentation it gets better in its second half and helps glide the song out well.
Vampires is a better track with a solid instrumental passage that features some frigid keys in its second half that I really enjoy and despite not having any vocals it's one of the songs I enjoy a lot in the second half. The best song that we hadn't heard from yet going into the albums release is Peach Sky a patient some with a loud quiet loud dynamic that gives it come very powerful breakdown moments and makes the verses feel like worthwhile builds. The only thing I don't love are the vocals played backwards but it is only for a short part of an otherwise good track.
Lost Girls isn't the best Bat For Lashes project yet and I don't see it being her big breakout moment, but if you can't get enough of that dreamy catchy indie pop sound she is certainly doing it justice here. There are a number of singles as well as deep cuts here that are easy listening tunes with catchy refrains and even some textures and details for the more intrusive listeners, once again I'm pleased with a Bat For Lashes record as if like clockwork. 6.5/10
For more dream pop check out my review of Lykke Li's Still Sad Still Sexy EP here
