02. Ladyhawke
Ladyhawke

Back home in New Zealand Ladyhawke is known by her human name, Pip Brown. Here in Musicsville, Ladyhawke has only gone and made one of the best debut albums in recent years, a collection of songs so deliriously enjoyable the album should come with a free copy of The Bell Jar to bring you back down after it’s finished. It also contains one of the best opening tracks of all time - or at least since Off The Wall – in the shape of ‘Magic’, a song so stupendous that listening to it makes you a better person (even you Rob). Elsewhere, it delivers the synthetic guitar rush of new single ‘My Delirium’, the John Hughes-soundtrack-escapee ‘Back of the Van’ and the synth-heavy ‘Paris Is Burning’, a song so catchy it’s practically illegal (“do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, doo”). In many ways, Ladyhawke is the perfect pop star; an enigmatic youngster with oodles of talent that manages to take from the past (the odd Stevie Nicks steal here, a homage to the 80s there) and simultaneously hint at the future. Prepare to have your gob well and truly smacked.

Key track: 'Magic'