If Florence Welch and Katy Perry had a beautiful, brunette love child, she would be London’s own Louisa Rose Allen, AKA Foxes. The 22-year-olds pop songs have the drama of the former, and the tone of her voice coupled with its perfectly timed breaks have the latter written all over them. Plus, her four-track EP is a mix of two radio-ready Perry-esque songs and a couple of melodramatic tunes more appropriate for listening to with your headphones on at home.
Her vocal promise manifests on the third track, a demo called Let Go For Tonight, which could have easily slipped on Florences Lungs. The uptempo track takes Allen on a piano-driven, sexy jaunt through a late-night hookup as she sings, Let go for tonight baby/ Who needs sleep tonight?. Lyrically, the EP is a bit all over the place (whether or not she goes for more of a theme on her full-length will be revealed in time). On White Coats, she sings, As a child, my mother said to me, dont be afraid to live the way you see/ Its only you and nobody else can see, which makes it feel like the kid sister of Lady Gagas Born This Way, but in a good way. That track also finds Foxes with the most interesting instrumentals, as a simple drum machine and snap/clap combo builds into a delicious poppy chorus that leaves the listener clapping along, followed by some intriguing effects contrasting with a simple piano.
Any doubt about the level of Allens talents are shattered on the final track, a live, acoustic version of album opener Warrior. With a piano, harp, and an acoustic guitar accompanying her, Foxes sounds less like a future product of the Top-40 rotation, and more like someone you could see playing a small stage at a festival. The two demos are much more enjoyable than the over-produced songs, which suggests hope for a more stripped down full-length affair in the future. This is a strong EP, and given her thousands of plays on the Internet, all this English darling needs to do now is fight for a seat at the proverbial (and highly competitive) lunch table of pop.
Essential Tracks: “Let Go For Tonight”