Anatomy

After undergoing some pretty horrific recent years that saw Drugstore front-lady Isobel Monteiro lose her band, her lover and (if rumours are to believed) her home, the songstress has returned with her first new material in nine years. In many ways, it’s an absolute triumph of talent over adversary from start to finish. Chock-full of dark and dreamlike skeletal songs that swoon with the best of them, her fourth record Anatomy is a compelling listen that sees the singer draw from her past experiences and the likes of ‘Sinner’s Descent’ and ‘Can’t Stop Me Now’ are unflinchingly honest affairs. As twisted as it is touching, the record is at its best when it’s at its weirdest; the country-tinged waltz of ‘Aquamarine’ in particular proves that Ms. Monteiro was right to get the band back together for one more go.