Dead Pony : "Eat My Dust"

 I really liked the nu-metal-tinged pop of "Ignore You"; it earned a 9 here. But this trip into the studio, they have refined what they were doing there and made it heavier; there is less pop-punk in the mix. Though some of the emphasis is still on hooky, infectious vocals, after hearing the first few singles, I was looking forward to this album. Anna Shields has more emphasis placed on her.. She is a strong front woman and should be front and center for more reasons than what might seem to the two that are most in your face. The first track is more of an intro, building into the title track here. There are more electronic elements driving things, but her vocal lines are airtight. You hear this song and can't imagine why they are not already on bigger stages. 

"Freak Like Me" is more dynamic, and there is a sexual element not only in the lyrics but in the groove, and is seems perhaps in showing more skin in their promo materials, she has grown into her own skin, and this is displayed in a more confident vocal performance. This defines girl power to me , as its not something that should prudishly repress the sex image and empower objectification. The lyrics might also be alluding to this. While many women trying to pull this off simply make videos that are better to watch with the sound muted, this is a well-balanced presentation, as the songs here matter.

"Fury" finds the chug of guitars laying down the foundation for her vocals to dance over. She is not trying to be Katy Perry, but the pop melding with metal hee works organically and benefits from stellar production. It makes sense that this is an ep as these songs were given meticulous attention to detail in the mix and a whole album of this might have pushed this back to a 2027 release. It also ensures that there is no filler. There are some interesting sounds on "Boom: that carries a more 90s alternative feel. It makes me think of bands I used to love, like the Guano Apes. The last song might be the msot melodic, and while it might not be as hooky as some of the earlier songs, it still works. I think they nailed what they do and presented a perfect sonic picture as who they are as a band, so I will give this one a 10.

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Lauren Mayberry : "Vicious Creature"

First off I am not a big fan of solo albums as I feel it's more often time better spent putting out an album with your band. Here are a great many of my favorite singers like Bruce Dickinson to Bryan Ferry who I feel this way about it. he steps out of the shadows of Chvrches for this album. Some catchy 90s-tinged songs are not far removed from what she does in Chvrches though perhaps a little poppier.  You could have Miley Cyrus or Allie-X sing these songs and it would not be dramatically different. I think Mayberry benefits from her partners in Chvrches as it balances out the pop side, and takes some of the sugar out of the mix. Watching her little pixie ass in the videos does not really change my mind on this. I felt pretty confident on the first song, but the pop elements began to weigh on me and she sounds less unique on these upbeat ditties. 

Maybe she just needs to get this out of her system? Her voice is the same, and these lyrics might work better over different music. "Change Shapes" bounces along, but does not have the depth of her previous work. I expect a lot from her as the Chvrches albums are so great, so just dialing in pop music is going to wear thin on me. There is a more organic feel to 'Anywhere But Dancing" as she is just singing again the strum of a guitar, which is different but works. 

. "Punch Drunk" is quirky indie pop, that is more organic than not. It builds kind of like "Madonna's "Ray of Light".  "Oh Mother" is an honest enough ballad so that is all you can really ask for from it, prefer it over the more overt pop" "Sorry etc" is more post-punk than the rest of this album up to this point,  "Mantra" proves she does not have abandon pop beats, as the more electronic side works well here.  The same can be said for the more atmospheric groove of " "A Work of Fiction" has a more 90s pop feel to me.  "Are You Awake' of an example of when doing something different that is not her band works for her. It's a piano ballad and feels more like she is just taking room to breathe while being true to the vibes of her band apart from them. There are some strong moments and maybe it needs to just grow on me, but I'll still round this down to a 9, as it's not as good as Chvrches but does allow you to hear some different sides of her, though her vocal approach is not wildly different. 

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