More electro than candy pop
Ever since she first blasted onto to the psyche of many pop lovers with her youthful appearance on Top of the Pops, Manda Rin has managed to divide opinion due to her unique vocal stylings. There is even the occasional airing of Manda’s speaking voice when she drops her guard for the odd time and delivers a word or two in her West of Scotland accent. That debate has raged on for years but the feisty singer has never shied away from the musical coal-face and her legacy has already been assured with Bis and Data Panik. Never one to shy away from a bit of work, Manda Rin returns with her very own debut album and its more of the same with a little bit more edge than some people would have predicted.
‘Typeface’ borrows some neat musical lines from Blondie’s ‘Atomic’ and this is never a bad thing and it has to be said that there are a lot of moments where the album sparkles, it just never manages to sustain these highs. ‘Guilty Pleasures’ would be a great choice of future single from the album (as would ‘Do The Static’) although it maybe does have similarities with that sort of Calvin Harris electro-lite vibe but then again, a bit of commercial prominence would be the worst thing in the world for this artist who is well deserving of some time in the sunshine.
None of the tracks overstay their welcome and it’s a very short and punchy album which keeps the momentum up but the flip side of this is that it is hard for any track to burrow into the listeners head. There is a really strong middle section to the album which encourages repeated listens and there is every suggestion that this album has the potential to be a right grower. Whether it has the staying power to be remembered at the end of the year is unclear but there are some really good poppy interludes that if delivered by a household name would be rapturously received.
It is under 40 minutes long but depending on your view point, it may just be a little too much of the same thing. For those of you who appreciate intelligent electro pop, you should find a lot to enjoy on ‘My DNA.’