Anxiety

Ladyhawke is New Zealand’s Pip Brown, who blew minds and blew off nightclub roofs with her self-titled debut back in 2008. Her sophomore release, Anxiety, has the unfortunate burden of, well, following that surprise gem. Those who can appreciate a more developed, slightly wizened artistic view (the natural order of things) should be quite content. Ladyhawke’s electro-pop is now harder-hitting and lightly peppered with the gritty texture of dubstep-inspired synths, as well as the distinct flavors of earlier artists of surprisingly varied stripes. The waltzing, ABBA-esque “Black White & Blue” could send floors of swaying festival fans into orbit, while “Girl Like Me” and “Vanity” offer a taste of Elastica-flavored, street-cred edge. There’s a sassy glam crunchiness on tracks like “Blue Eyes” and “Gone Gone Gone,” but “Cellophane” shows the real possibilities of Pip Brown the performer. The descending notes of the song’s chorus pull at the heart, and her voice’s cool detachment (found throughout most of Anxiety) is absent here. It’s refreshing and moving, and it should become many a 16-year-old girl’s swooning first-love anthem.