St. Vincent is back with her most confrontational collection of material yet. This much is clear just from laying eyes on the cover of her new record ‘MASSEDUCTION’, which features what Annie Clark has described as a very nice ass clad in hot pink tights and a cheetah-print bodysuit.
Forever unpredictable, Clark’s propensity to favour shock value should come as little surprise by now. Following ‘Actor’ and ‘Strange Mercy’, the Texas native has digitalised her sound substantially, gravitating toward a caustic brand of electro-rock that’s lent itself perfectly to her outlandish latex outfits and erratic on-stage antics. Still, where much has changed, more has remained the same – the record’s first single ‘New York’ is a vintage-Clark piano ballad, while ‘Los Ageless’ struts confidently as Clark belts out a spellbinding refrain in the form of a question: “How could anybody have you and lose you and not lose their mind, too?”
Other highlights include the ‘Dancing With A Ghost’ and ‘Slow Disco’ sequence, in addition to ‘Hang On Me’ with its mesmeric synths and subtle bass lead, but for all its merits, much of the chaos on ‘MASSEDUCTION’ tends to move rapidly in one ear and out the other, making it a pleasant but somewhat faceless affair.
7/10
Words: Noveen Bajpai
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