When I looked up Theoretical Girl, (AKA Amy Turnridge), on wikipedia they described her music as Chamber pop- an odd explanation, but probably the most accurate. My description would go more like this: ‘50’s style romantic pop mixed with folk, electro and angst’. On the whole the album is sweet and full of catchy chorus’ that come off as innocent pop. However, after a closer listen you realise Amy isn’t all sweetness and light. When you really listen to the lyrics you hear lines such as “You’re the biggest mistake I ever made”…. “I should have loved you more”….. and “My love is unrequited” – suddenly she isn’t this little girl with cute ditties and romantic tales- she’s you and me.
The opening track, ‘Rivals’ is the first taste of her edgier side, with a confident chorus that sucks you in immediately. Other beautifully angst ridden tunes include ‘Red Mist’, (the next single coming out from the album), ‘Dancehall Deceit’ and the last song on the album, ‘The Hypocrite’. It seems that she has consciously placed these songs in amongst the lighter tunes to add some punch- and it works very well.
The softer side of Amy comes in the form of ‘The Boy I left behind’, ‘A future apart’, ‘Good Timing’ and ‘Seeing you again’. All in all, it is quite a sad album about the harder parts of relationships. It’s this dose of reality that makes Theoretical Girl stand out, it isn’t always about love at first sight or living happily ever after. In fact it isn’t even necessarily about the break-ups either, it’s about what goes on during and after. And God knows it can all get a bit painful. But isn’t it nice to hear all that pain in the form of catchy pop songs?
Audiences will appreciate Amy’s honesty as well as her talent for making great melodies.
Words: Kat Nicholls