<p><span><span>- Ever since <strong>Natasha Khan</strong> aka Bat For Lashes first emerged in 2006 with the spectral electronic folk of <em>Fur And Gold</em>, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has found ambitious yet subtle ways to toy with pop music. A dark yet accessible and intriguing back catalogue culminated in 2016’s <em>The Bride</em>, a baroque-pop-concept album about love and death. Clearly, Khan has never taken the easy route when it comes to creating her songs. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The same can also be said for her new album <em>Lost Girls</em>, but fortunately her tendency to challenge herself does not have any adverse effect on the listener. On the contrary, this glistening three AM pop record has some of the most approachable and atmospheric music of her career. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Opening track <em>Kids In The Dark</em> takes Khan’s traditionally noir-ish vibe and marries it to an orchestra of sparkling ‘80's synths. There’s cavernous church organ in<em> The Hunger</em>, with the drama enhanced by near-tribal percussion. <em>Feel For You</em> is the most blatantly dancefloor-friendly track to be found on the album, combined with the slinkiness of mid-'80's <strong>Bryan Ferry</strong>. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span><em>Vampires</em> is a moody instrumental that marries yacht-rock saxophone to gloomy post-punk guitars a-la <strong>The Cure</strong>. <em>So Good</em> approximates the rhythm of <strong>Queen’s</strong> <em>Radio Ga Ga</em> and ups the fizz with a pop chorus worthy of ‘80s <strong>Madonna</strong> and <strong>Cyndi Lauper</strong>. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>In fact, it’s '80's pop music that most informs the sound and feel of this album, which is apparently no coincidence as Khan was reportedly absorbing this very genre, as well as cinema from the era when conceptualising the new record. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The result sounds like a retro-futuristic road trip through a neon-filled LA in 1987, the gleaming synth arpeggios and dark, melancholic pop melodies ensuring images are evoked in one’s mind. Among other things, I am reminded of the retro video game artwork of a Trans Am travelling into a pink-skied horizon as it passes neat, endless rows of identical palm trees. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>As a singer, Khan continues to wring gallons of emotion from the songs without resorting to vocal acrobatics. Through subtle phrasing and timbre, her voice manages to convey the fantasy, romance and moodiness of these new songs. At just over thirty-eight minutes in length, this is Khan’s shortest album to date. However, it feels just as rich and complete as her more expansive works. Khan has managed to make each and every album in her back catalogue completely different while never forgetting what makes Bat For Lashes unique. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Matt Thrower.</span></span></p>
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