BAT FOR LASHES Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Dream of Delphi is the sixth album for the Los Angeles singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Bat For Lashes. Critics have likened her music to the work of Joni Mitchell, Nico, Siouxsie Sioux, Bjork, Kate Bush, Cat Power, PJ Harvey, Annie Lennox, Tori Amos, and Fiona Apple and this album reflects on the conception and birth of Khan's daughter Delphi during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Samples of the album are still guarded closely upon writing this but expect more great songwriting, electronic elements and a strong post punk influence. With a release date of late May, this indie exclusive is pressed on red vinyl.

Review: The new Bat For Lashes album, her sixth, is an ode to motherhood, created during Khan's experience giving birth to her daughter Delphi during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contents of the ten-song album, described as "song poems," are a personal and transformative exploration of both the external chaos of the pandemic and the intimate journey of becoming a mother. Featuring the title track, which is already available, the album promises a diary-like intimacy and a rich collaboration with musicians like Brad Oberhofer, Mary Lattimore and Jack Falby.

Review: Don't believe everything you read - the fifth Bat For Lashes album confirms this girl (or woman) found herself musically and thematically some time ago, freeing up creative energy to explore new approaches to deliver her often mournful, always heartfelt songs inspired by personal crises and private longings. On this outing there's more than a hint of 1980s pop evident in the mix. Shades of Prince ("Feel For You"), Madonna ("So Good"), Bowie's Berlin days and electro-era Gary Numan (the stunning, infectious instrumental "Vampires") cast the record in a nostalgia that suits the sense of yearning that always seems to pervade Natasha Khan's work. Simply name-checking reference points is lazy and unfair, though. This is an incredible collection of tracks moulded in the artist's own image - bold, beautiful and instantly captivating. Then again, it would be surprising if anyone had expected anything less.