This may be the debut album from Lyra – aka Laura McNamara – but the Cork warrior-woman is not lacking in hard-earned industry experience. Her debut EP W.I.L.D was released the guts of a decade ago, while the 2019 radio hit ‘Falling’ – nominated for the Choice Music Song of the Year – featured on Grey’s Anatomy and ITV’s Love Island. It kicked off a slew of singles that have been steadily drip-fed since to an ever-growing fanbase.

Lyra’s audience has also been nurtured across extensive gigging and a number of TV appearances – all of which fierce activity has resulted in a burgeoning sense of real anticipation around the singer’s first long player. The good news is that it more than lives up to the hype. Spare a thought for the reviewer, however – for this big, powerful record belongs on a sweaty dancefloor or in the buzzy environs of a festival saturnalia, long after daylight hours are done. Hence Lyra’s omniscience on last year’s festival circuit – including Lollapalooza in Berlin, the Main Stage at Electric Picnic and Brighton Pride – made complete sense.

She doesn’t hold back. Cleverly arranged, ‘Drink Me Up’ is a Tori Amos-infused banger, while the dramatic Abba-esque ‘Queen’ screams crossover hit, thanks to its scything synths and razor-sharp lyrics (“Got my body dressed in Gucci and Bodega / Got my diamond shining bright just like Rihanna”). Elsewhere, Lyra’s dire warning on the provocative ‘Chess’ – 'Don’t fuck with me, I’m not like the rest' – is refreshingly direct and unyielding. Citing pioneering vocalists Sia, Dolores O’Riordan and London Grammar’s Hannah Reid as influences, Lyra’s voice – check the declamatory ‘Lovers’ and ‘You’ for conformation – really is an extraordinary instrument. On this form, Lyra comes across as a damn near unstoppable force of nature. Watch her soar.

8/10

Out now. Listen here.