Label: Polydor Records
Released: 3rd September 2021
At this point, any attempt to deny Bella Lathum’s status as an emerging powerhouse seems futile at best. Last year’s debut collection ‘Medicine’ might have fizzed with potential-to-come, but the ten-track ‘The Yearbook’ arrives with an even louder bang.
Assured, confident and with an almost unnerving ability to find a subtle vocal hook or unique flourish, Baby Queen isn’t about following the crowd – but more creating her own just slightly off the well-lit path.
Bright, bubbly and filled to the brim with self-aware brilliance, ‘American Dream’, ‘Dover Beach’ and standout ‘You Shaped Hole’ prove the power of direct, immediate pop music. ‘Narcissist’, on the other hand, runs like an understandably bitter stream of consciousness, dripping with not even barely concealed disdain.
Carefully staying clear of the ‘album’ word, yet still delivering a significant body of work that feels rammed to the rafters with certified bops, Baby Queen is only just getting started. Bow down.
