Rose Elinor Dougall – Without Why

In the wake of homegrown femme-pop dominating the airwaves, Florence, Marina, Kate Nash and, ahem, Diana Vickers – all but spoken like an avid listener of daytime Radio 1 – along comes another contender for the pop princess mantle, former member of indie-chic girl group The Pipettes, Rose Elinor Dougall. Not to slight her former musical incarnation but Without Why puts to rest any reservations that Rose may have jumped the shark by slipping out of her polka-dot dress and into something more comfortable.

There’s a vast array of musical references throughout, the Baroque-pop of Start/Stop/Synchro pulsates with glee somewhere between Sparks and Stereolab, Come Away With Me unashamedly pays homage to Felt, and Find Me Out recalls Felt Mountain-era Goldfrapp. On the surface, the album plays like an enjoyable slice of pizza-pop, tasty and nice while it lasts, however lyrically the album is much juicier, filled with introspection, teetering on bitterness, and making for a much more fulfilling listen. [Alan Souter]