Wild Belle: Isles

When brother/sister duo Elliot and Natalie Bergman made their first onstage forays under the guise of Wild Belle at the start of 2012, the classically trained tunesmiths found themselves clutched to the collective breast of the fashion world. As a result, the Bergmans endured intense scrutiny, all the better to decide if they had the substance to back up their admittedly eye-catching style.

Debut album Isles is their sonic response to the doubters: it defiantly proves there’s much more to the band than a handful of pretty promo pics. From the off it’s clear that they have some serious musical chops. Opener ‘Keep You’ is a rocksteady-infused shuffle which sees a nursery rhyme-like vocal hook nuzzle up beside an ace, echoing dub sound. Every track takes the listener on a musical tour: there are elements of Afrobeat (‘Twisted’), ska (‘It’s Too Late’) and ‘60s-era British invasion (‘’When It’s Over’).
Natalie’s vocals soundtrack the journey perfectly. While Isles does run out of steam a little towards the end, the likes of ‘Happy Home’ (a reimagining of XTC’s classic ‘Making Plans For Nigel’) and the bluesy, handclap-driven ‘Another Girl’ should put a smile on even the harshest critic’s mug.