Little Boots
Working Girl
Reviewed by: Ziggy Merritt
The nu-disco revolution came into its own after the release of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories back in 2013. Since then the influence has extended to the revival of Giorgio Moroder’s career and more arguably, Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk.” On Little Boots’ latest album, Working Girl, we see the extension of that effect muddled together with her usual house and synthpop stylings and an overall vibe of an 80s film about corporate greed. Either Wall Street or The Secret of My Success would work well here.
The producers on the album include Ariel Rechtshaid and Com Truise, the latter of whom produced the Business Pleasure EP released just last year. The tracks on that EP are included here of course and make up some of the clear standouts within the album. “Business Pleasure”, “Better in the Morning”, and “Get Things Done” rank in as the most inspired bits. The rest is a bag of mixed feelings. Too often, Working Girl errs on the side of Abercrombie & Fitch-chic synthpop, something that’s not necessarily a bad thing but finds itself filling the role of background music for something more productive. At the same time all of the tracks here are perfectly pleasant and listenable but unlike those listed above, fall flat as they verge into the club-ready house territory. They rely too heavily on repetition and the occasionally drop of the beat to excite the listener. The openers “Working Girl” and “No Pressure” are especially guilty of this quality.
But I still find even these hold the ability to make me want to dance despite my inability to do so. This is extended to “Get Things Done”, which relies in part on the nu-disco appeal in its production. The muddling of that with Little Boots’ synth stylings works wonders here with the confidence and clarity that she is able to eschew via her always impressive vocal work. Yet, as expected the clear standout among the tracks included within the album is still “Better in the Morning” precisely because it’s different from everything else. It’s quirky, weirdly sunny, and like any great pop song on constant mental rewind, catchy. The overall style of the album does not lend itself these qualities. Perhaps its appropriate then that “Better in the Morning” is the album closer, something more upbeat to end Working Girl on a definite high note.
Rating: Listenable
