Out this week in the UK on 679 is “Hands”, the long awaited and anticipated album by Miss Victoria Hesketh aka Little Boots. If you’re looking for the soundtrack to your summer, look no further than this lovely electro pop gem. Full disclosure: I’ve been a fan of hers since I first heard singles “Stuck on Repeat” and “Meddle” several months ago. Hesketh has played piano since she was young and watching her perform is also fascinating – we caught her at SXSW – as she incorporates the Tenorion and other instruments.
I’ve listened to the album several times and I can’t find a song I dislike. It’s all just catchy, fun pop that does not disappoint; great for blasting in the car on a hot summer (I know it’s technically not summer yet but it has been here in Texas for over a month) day. Little Boots’ brand of pop is very well crafted, every song is composed with love and some feel very personal, such as “Earthquake”, a track about the demise of a relationship, in contrast the sweet love song “Symmetry” features a duet with special guest Phillip Oakey, co-founder of The Human League. I had a hard time picking a track to include with this post but I went with “Remedy” because I can’t get it out of my head – hoping it’ll be a single.
Little Boots is also very dedicated to staying connected with her fans. As often as possible, she takes requests via her very active Twitter account and records videos of herself singing covers. “Day & Night”, a cover of the Kid Cudi hit, became especially popular and he even surprised her by joining her onstage at SXSW to sing it. I’ve searched high and low but I can’t seem to find a domestic release date for this album – I hope she catches on over here in North America, people don’t know what they are missing!
She will be playing a few dates this fall, hopefully more to come:
September 14 Wrongbar Toronto, ONT
September 16 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
September 17 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
September 18 Roxy Theatre Los Angeles, CA
September 19 The Independent San Francisco, CA
