New Worlds

On her third solo album, former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley makes an unexpected veer into Cardigans-style lounge pop. And while she’s no Nina Persson, her feathery croon suits the cocktail party arrangements surprisingly well. Lyrically, she has her daggers drawn – in particular ‘White’ and ‘Alexander’ seem addressed to bad-boy lovers (she recently split from filmmaker squeeze Edgar Wright).
Hatherley recently took a job playing bass with Bat for Lashes. But anyone fearing a move towards Kate Bush style pop bonkderdom can heave a sigh of relief. Far from going over the top, she opts for willowy understatement – the rollicking guitars that were a feature of her earlier records (as well as her Ash material) have been more or less junked, with her wispy voice at the centre of proceedings. As anyone who has ever seen her live can attest, Hatherley’s indie wallflower persona can be a problem – for a ten year veteran of the music industry, she is surprisingly lacking in front. With New Worlds she turns this weakness into a strength – it’s drowsily, dreamily seductive and, by some distance, the best thing she’s yet recorded.