When Louisa Rose Allen released her debut album almost two years ago, she sounded as bland as an unsalted cracker. A tour with Pharrell and an appearance on BBC’s Doctor Who later, and not much has changed musically for the Southampton native.
On her sophomore album, the English songstress – better known by her stage name Foxes – still struggles to sound even remotely remarkable. Sure, lead single Body Talk – with its retro disco vibe and solid songwriting – hints at some kind of nostalgic 80s synthpop greatness, but that promising prelude is all but lost on Allen’s latest studio endeavour.