Album Review: Lily Allen – West End Girl
3 min read
Lily Allen is someone who ‘used to be quite famous’ according to her new song Dallas Major, but is arguably better known than she lets on. The London-born singer-songwriter and actor rose to prominence with her debut album Alright, Still in 2006 alongside hit singles Smile, LDN, and Alfie. Since then she has been nominated for a GRAMMY and a Laurence Olivier Award and won a BRIT Award for Best Female Solo Artist after her second chart-topping album It’s Not Me, It’s You. Now, after what appears to be years of personal turmoil, she’s returned with a statement.
Title track West End Girl kicks the record off with an almost dissonant bossa nova sample and manipulated vocal that mirror the story being told in the lyrics. Its a play-by-play of a relationship going full speed ahead and falling apart at the seams, told with a calm, interrogation-esc demeanour from Allen. At the mid-point it turns into one side of a call that doesn’t go well, leaning into the West End actress narrative also. As well as setting up the narrative of the entire album, it also leads into Ruminating well despite the shift in sound, with its fast buzzy beat and lavish piano. Heavily autotuned, Allen sings about staying up late at night and pondering what could be happening with her lover. It’s raw, rough around the edges, but impactful. Sleepwalking and Tennis takes a more natural approach instrumentally, the former’s dream-like quality playing into the theme, while the latter takes the form of a traditional ballad, easing the narrative of adultery and secrets.
Tennis asks the question “who’s Madeline?” and the answer is revealed in the following song. In it, Allen talks to her partner’s lover, finding information about their relationship. It’s a tense listen, accentuated in the music by castanets and string pads. The album’s stand out track is Pussy Palace, a song that is as humorous as it is tragic, and also the most revealing about her partner. The rest of the album follows the same trajectory lyrically, another highlight being Nonmonogamummy featuring Specialist Moss who adds a Dub flare to the beat along with his rap verse. Dallas Major brings a solid bass line and groove to a story of anonymous fun, while Let You W/In coasts along on a dry and sparse beat as Allen sings about coming to terms with the end of the relationship and not letting her partner get the better of the situation. Closer Fruityloop feels like a triumphant conclusion to the narrative, but leaves the ending open to interpretation, as she sings about her own issues as well as his.
West End Girl is an excellently produced, expertly performed, and painfully tragic album. Its chronological presentation paints its narrative in stark colours, and although Lily Allen has never been against saying it how it is, this feels even more pointed. Musically, it’s rich, vibrant, and eclectic, and all fans can do is hope that Lily’s in a better place emotionally for the next one.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
