Album Review: Pixie Geldof, I'm Yours

Some would be sceptical about a twentysomething fashion model from a famous family releasing an album, but Pixie Geldof’s moody debut is a preconception-destroying delight from start to finish.

The third daughter of Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates previously fronted short-lived London grunge act Violet, who disappeared after releasing one forgettable single in 2012. Surprising then that, while there are indie shades of Mazzy Star, Warpaint and Lana Del Ray in evidence, her dominant influence is country music.

I’m Yours was recorded in LA in late 2015 with Grammy/Mercury-nominated producer/mixer Tony Hoffer (M83, Beck, Goldfrapp, Air, Ladyhawke, Phoenix). The strings were composed by Beck’s father David Campbell, whose CV includes work with the likes of Carole King, Marvin Gaye, the Rolling Stones, Radiohead and Adele.

There’s no ditzy pop filler here: Pixie has plenty to sing about. Her vocals are deep, husky and imbued with more world-weary wisdom than any 26-year-old should possess. Lyrically reminiscent of Parton, Cash and Kristofferson, her emotionally brave songs deal with themes of love, loss, sex and death. Pixie has stated that every song on the album is addressed to a person in her life. On the heartfelt title track, she croons, “I could stay awake/ I could make mistakes/ You can fuck around until my heart breaks/ That’s just what we do”.

She regretfully addresses the tragic 2014 heroin overdose of her older sister Peaches on the shimmering ‘Twin Thing’: “Into the wave where you’re going/ I watch you falling down/ Wish I’d known you like my own skin/ So I could feel the hurt you were in/ Wish we had that twin thing...” It ends with the lush ‘Where The Wild Things Grow’, on which Geldof sings: “I’ll meet you where the wild things grow/ I’ll love you forever you know/ It’s easy to forget these highs are lows/ Because soon they go.”

Emotional, beguiling, ecstatic, sublime, haunting, mournful, cathartic – this truly gorgeous collection of songs is easily one of the most impressive debut albums I’ve ever heard. Pixie Geldof is destined to be a huge star.

I'm Yours is out November 4.