The first track on Let’s Eat Grandma’s sophomore album I’m All Ears is something of a decoy. ‘Whitewater’, is a weird cacophony of ideas that don’t materialize on the rest of the album. Without wanting to sound too much like a Boomkat record description, it’s a combination of textures that echo Mike Oldfield, Strawberry Switchblade, Sol Invictus and Hans Zimmer.
A beautiful record follows the admittedly sinister opener. ‘Hot Pink’ is produced by SOPHIE and it mirrors the vibrant sonic mischief that stole our hearts on her recent debut. The double of ‘Falling Into Me’ and ‘It’s Not Just Me’ is the highlight of the record. It’s new ground for Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth to create music that retains their natural quirk but also beckons in a mainstream ear.
The synths that dominated the first half are wiped away on the second, The stunning nine minute ‘Cool & Collected’ is a tasteful reimaging of 90s alt rock - with themes that blur lines between adoration and envy. ‘I’m All Ears’ closes in a fashion as strangely beautiful as it opens ‘ Donnie Darko’ evolves from hazy dream pop, with pretty noodly guitar lines to an 80s synth pop jam with an irresistible keyboard lead.
I had the pleasure of meeting Walton and Hollingworth. We discussed a shared passion for Lorde’s music, admiring her innate ability to paint common teenage scenarios into enchanting musical memoirs. Not only do Let’s Eat Grandma follow these footsteps lyrically, it’s can also be traced in the instrumentation. Both artists released their debuts at 17 and much like Lorde's transition from Pure Heroine to Melodrama, the duo have progressed from kitsch bedroom pop to gorgeous, pristine and expansive pop.
8/10
