In recent years, all eyes have been on the ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ hit maker, after that very song was featured in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. This followed on from her successful Kitchen Disco series that she launched during lockdown, which led to her going viral on social media, as well as taking centre stage at both Glastonbury and BBC Radio 2 In The Park.
‘Perimenopop’ opens in a state of euphoria, with the upbeat bop that is ‘Relentless Love’. It starts off slow before growing steadily catchier, and before you know it, you are screaming the chorus into a hairbrush and dusting off your platforms. For want of a better cliché, it really does set the tone to the rest of the album.
Then comes ‘Vertigo’, which helps show off Ellis-Bextor’s fantastic tone and unique vocal ability. Her signature breathy, nasal tone sits at the centre of the song and drives the infectious chorus forward. There are splashes of Kate Nash and Lily Allen during her dry delivery of lines such as: “All of my senses right from the start / Orbit the pull of my heart”. Thus, enhancing the track’s charisma and reinforcing the charm that comes with her quintessential British accent — another Ellis-Bextor trademark.
The album has a bit of a gear change, with the more refined ‘Stay On Me’. This proves that Ellis-Bextor has the ability to play with the nuances of disco-pop and can offer much-needed light and shade to her listeners. The vocals feel particularly raspy yet silky and well-crafted throughout the track. The tempo is slower compared to the first three songs we hear, but it doesn’t cause the album to lose momentum. Instead, it allows for breathing space; a second to appreciate Ellis-Bextor's vocal talent, maturity, and ability to genre-bend with ease.
‘Time’ and ‘Glamorous’ carry on with this more refined sound. They are lyrically thoughtful and engage with the more “poppy” elements of her vocal and musical identity. They are full of expertly fashioned, slick, stylish instrumental sections that again provide a well-crafted breathing space, after their respective chorus’.
’Perimenopop’ is emotionally complex and widely thought-provoking. It explores how one should navigate a new chapter of life with joy and sincerity, whilst being reflective of the past. The title itself explores how Ellis-Bextor has attempted to take control of her forties with the same joie de vivre she had whilst performing to packed nightclubs in her early twenties.
When discussing the album’s title with Rolling Stone, she explains that: “Perimenopop was a jokey title…but it didn’t really leave me. While for me, it’s not necessarily a literal reference to the perimenopause, the title works well for a pop album.” She goes on to say that: “It was more about the conversation, the algorithm, the expectation of this age and how maybe sometimes it’s gloomy and overwhelming.”
Ellis-Bextor’s determination to escape such stereotypes is reinforced in the phantasmagorical ‘Freedom Of The Night’ — this is also a serious contender for queer party anthem of the year. It’s all about letting go, letting your hair down and dancing until you drop. As proven by lyrics like: “Put on your confidence like make up / Step through the mirror as the sun drops” and “All I need is sweet release in the freedom of the night”.
‘Freedom Of The Night’ is followed by the equally upbeat ‘Layers’ and ‘Diamond In The Dark’. These tracks transport you back to the early noughties and the mid-eighties at the same time. Strong comparisons can be made between these tracks and Dannii Minogue’s ‘Neon Nights’, New Order’s ‘Substance’ and the early work of Eurythmics — a truly remarkable mash-up of camp classics, textured synthetics and dancefloor fillers.
This album reminds us all that Sophie Ellis-Bextor is the fiercest contemporary disco diva going. It’s high-energy, high-impact, full of fun, yet classily refined compared to some of her earlier work. Thus, proving that Ellis-Bextor’s renaissance era has stretched way beyond the Saltburn soundtrack, Instagram live streams and kitchen discos.
In short, ‘Perimenopop’ will certainly not kill your groove. Instead, it'll help you get well and truly into the groove.