MØ – No Mythologies To Follow

Following up her feisty 2013 EP Bikini Daze, Danish pop vixen Karen Marie Ørsted – as MØ – unveils her debut No Mythologies To Follow via Chess Club and RCA Victor, the latter being known for punting the not-quite-pop. This record might ride the synth-pop revivalist wave and tick certain boxes, but there are enough curve balls here to shrug off easy labelling.

Diplo’s left his Mad Decent mark on XXX 88 (basically, trumpets), and debut single Pilgrim sounds like a grown-up Lorde (also, trumpets). But tracks like Waste of Time, Glass, and the punchy opener Fire Rides, are potent, unexpected pulsars; they flit from jazzy, finger-clicking electronica to (forgive the neologism) sassy pop-step, all complementing Ørsted’s defiant vocal. Dust Is Gone showcases that voice to better effect, as does the forlorn, post-breakup Never Wanna Know. With a velvety darkness beneath the sugar, NMTF is not a straightforward pop album by any measure. [George Sully]