The seven piece Say She She had a smooth entrance on the music scene last year. Led by a trio of singers – Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown – the group’s retro-driven pop truly stands out in the era of Dua Lipa’s more commercialised brand of disco.
Their aptly titled debut album ‘Prism’ was just as dreamy as you would expect, even kaleidoscopic in its soft soundscapes. But consisting of only eight songs the collection was rather uniform. Say She She’s new 16 track heavy record ‘Silver’ contrasts the previously established sound in almost every way.
Still strongly reminiscent of 70s girl groups and built around the trio’s soaring harmonies, there is no longer any glossy production to modernize the music. Instead the group has opted to record live to tape using traditional analogue recording techniques – resulting in a more playful but also rougher finish. This approach lets the instruments play a bigger role, which is suitable for the now funk-leaning and psychedelic sound. Unfortunately the live recording comes at the cost of the vocals, leaving them slightly off-kilter in places.
From the first track ‘Reeling’ the base settles in as the main driving force of the music, providing a hypnotizing groove for the vocals. Continuing with what are undoubtedly the record’s strongest tracks, ‘Don’t You Dare Stop’ and ‘Astral’, the group invites us to succumb to their cosmic psychedelia.
The palate cleanser ‘C’est Si Bon’, a quirky and more lighthearted offering, introduces the next part of the record. ‘Entry Level’ through ‘Never Say Never’ are all full of swagger – characterised by humourous undertones and bouncily uptempo funk.
Replaced by a more serious mode, the last six tracks address political issues, like gun control on ‘Echo In The Chambers’ and abortion rights on ‘Norma’. Despite being a slightly mismatched conclusion to the record, it is also electrifyingly dynamic. Although vibrant and adventurous, the end result is too overcrowded on ‘Silver’ – some trimming, and there’s a classic here.
7/10
Words: Emma Thimgren
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