Coming to this album just a few days after the Miley Cyrus VMA crotch-gate, the newly independent and happily crowd-funded Kate Nash is a welcome breath of fresh air. Nash has self-released her latest effort after leaving her label behind, citing artistic differences.
From the moment Girl Talk’s opener ‘Part Heart’ kicks into gear with overdriven punk guitars and muted lo-fi drums, it’s clear that Nash is up to something a little different.
While her previous hit-spawning albums adhered to an indie pop sound, her third album offers 15 tracks of Riot Grrrl-influenced punk rock and garage rock.
Nash’s bass playing drives many of the tracks on the album, with a primordial fuzzy stomp that brings to mind a mix of Hole and The Stooges.
This works particularly well in ‘Death Proof’, with verses taken straight from the punk/grunge playbook and a chorus that would make the Shangri-Las proud.
While one or two tracks fall flat (‘Rap For Rejection’ features actual “rapping”), overall the album is powerful, loud and a lot of fun. There are some curveballs too, like the orchestral ballad closer, ‘Lullaby For An Insomniac’.
A few of Nash’s trademarks are still present – the slightly disaffected vocals, the stylistic experimentation and her girl power-appealing lyrics – but the new, rougher approach makes much of Girl Talk a pleasant surprise.
