Róisín Murphy — Hit Parade — Album Review
Experimental | Alternative | Electronic | Pop
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
It was definitely a missed opportunity on my part to not have reviewed Róisín Murphy’s 2020 album Róisín Machine. But whichever way you slice it, this album is how I discovered the irish singer-songwriter, and pioneering force in electronic pop.
Róisín Murphy’s music lied in a very similar vein to the likes of Jessie Ware, especially in the case of the aforementioned 2020 album. And considering how much I enjoyed the latest work from Jessie, that factor, and my willingness to finally listen to a Róisín Murphy album with a critical mindset, led me to eagerly await her next studio album.
Thankfully for me, that time finally arrived with the release of Róisín Murphy’s sixth studio album, titled Hit Parade.
Hit Parade was teased by a total of four tracks, though the closest I got to diving into those (with the incredibly hectic year I’ve had) would’ve been dabbling in the very first of those teasers, named “CooCool”. Nevertheless, I was very glad to have gone into this album as a relatively blank canvas. Considering how the album in its entirety ultimately felt, I still believe that “CooCool” was the best teaser track to bridge that gap between Róisín’s previous material, and that on Hit Parade.
This new album takes Róisín’s music into more experimental territory, to say the very least, allowing the artist and her music to stand out further and trailblaze even more brightly. On top of that, it allowed Róisín to give us an album with much more variety when it comes to all the different sounds and moods that come out of it.
There’s a whole load of elements to enjoy on Hit Parade, such as musicality that borrows influences from electronic music, pop, dance, and even a hint of indie too, the aforementioned variety, some brilliant vocal effects, and some fun little sound-bites sprinkle on top.
With its given diversity, and level of enjoyment, this album stands as one that takes a little bit more time to unpack than most. That being said, I have given this record quite a few spins already, and still feel that there will be more to discover upon my next listen.
I also had the priviledge of first listening to this album while abroad, allowing the warmer tracks such as the aforementioned “CooCool”, “The Universe”, and more to really shine. However, I still feel that this album possibly should’ve arrived a little earlier in the year, in which the Summer (or the little we had of it, at least) was still in full swing.
My only other criticism aside from that was that the later tracks, particularly those that carried a more dance-like musical framework to them, did feel a little repetitive at points.
Aside from that though, Hit Parade is a masterfully made album, and a great showcase of just how much of an innovative musical mind Róisín Murphy truly is.
Favourite Tracks: What Not To Do | CooCool | The Universe | Fader
Least favourite Track: You Knew
Ninja Tune
