Kate Nash’s boyfriend has rubbed off on her. Ahem. The boyfriend is Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, arguably Britain’s most exciting band. While her debut album, Made of Bricks, was a piano-led jaunt through whims and fancies and released in the heyday of Lily Allen-esque ‘Lahndhan’-voiced ladies, My Best Friend Is You is a somewhat radical departure. For the poppier moments, Nash has taken cues from 60s girl groups and has hooks and handclaps in all the right places, but the other side of the record is a far darker place indeed. From the foul-mouthed, spat out spoken word track ‘Mansion Song’, to the distorted and primal screams of the Pixies-homaging ‘I Just Love You More’, Nash is taking her own direction and while she may still be finding her way, she’s becoming ever more interesting the further she steps from safety. With the darker side she unexpectedly grabs you by the throat and speaks the truths of young women in the world. My Best Friend Is You isn’t perfect, but it’s a hint at an artist with more depth than she was first credited with.

-TC

Tags: Kate Nash, My Best Friend Is You
Posted in Reviews