Pip Brown, the Queen of Synth-Pop Hooks
Brown, otherwise known as Ladyhawke, has just recently released her third album, Wild Things. Brown has always been the master sound of synth-pop. However, what makes Wild Things a switch in momentum from her other music is not only her energetic expansion on synth-pop music, but also her message. Wild Things is less about combat and iniquity and more about what is to come, which is translated quite nicely in her style of music.
Brown has had a love hate relationship with performance and music in the past. She claims that, “I’d never done a sober show in my life until last December”. After working with her producer, Tommy English, she felt as though she was finally satisfied with her quality of work and life. Brown states, “I feel good for the first time in 10 years. I actually have a clear mind! I have a wife. I feel stable. That is what I’m celebrating.”
The first song on this album, “A Love Song,” is nearly identical to “Past Lives” by BÆRNS. Why, you may ask? Well, Tommy English is the producer of both BÆRNS and Ladyhawke. This may conjure up some copy-writing issues, but in the meantime just enjoy those pulsating, beaty bridges and jam out a little bit.
The album, Wild Things, is a collection of tracks with electricity and grit. Her sound is an irresistible crossover between HAIM, Purity Ring and CHVCHES. With a name like Ladyhawke, how could you not fall in love with her music? Not sure how she did it, but every track on this album has a crazy good hook.
Ladyhawke has a sound that is recognizable and familiar. The best way to find an audience is to give them something they already love and Brown does just that. She says, “This album has given me a sense of purpose. Even if it took me months or years to get that purpose, as soon as I finished that record it was like an unbelievable weight was lifted off my shoulders.”