Debut album ‘Glorious’ saw Foxes toe the line between indie and pop, offering euphoria-doused choruses to satiate the masses, whilst eschewing the formula today’s chart-fodder so regularly confines itself to. And while Foxes (real name Louisa Rose Allen) was never a pioneer of the genre, her music came with a genuine identity attached – one that made her anthems-for-the-generation all the more relatable.
With sophomore LP ‘All I Need’, any trace of the identity that once set Foxes apart from other pop acts has been wiped clean. The album resembles a generic template, fashioned by several verified hit-makers, which could feature just about any old pop artist.
‘Better Love’s battering drums and ragged male chorus aims for triumphant but falls into a sound more commonly heard on X Factor winners singles, while the predictably cheesy ‘Amazing’ contains lyrics so criminally generic it’s a wonder how One Direction didn’t snap them up first. And then there’s ‘Cruel’; while it’s a break from the album’s sickly sweet jauntiness, the faux-Ibiza vibes are undoubtedly one of the LP’s worse ventures.
Thankfully, the infectious summer haze of ‘Body Talk’ is a little harder to resist with its nostalgic ‘80s strut. However, the rare snatches of Foxes’ husky larynx is a reminder of the talent harboured beneath ‘All I Need’s overwrought production and abundance of cliché.
Here’s hoping that the potential Foxes demonstrated on her memorable debut will make a reappearance in the next album. As for this one, there’s a good chance ‘All I Need’ will be forgotten in its place atop of the pop landfill.
2/10
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