Album Review: Rose Gray – Louder Please
3 min read
Signing a songwriting deal when she was only a teenager Rose Gray seemed destined for big things. However, a split with the label that left her without the rights to any of the original music meant Gray found herself starting from the ground up. After making a name for herself in the London club scene and with several successful eps under her belt, Gray has released her debut album, Louder Please. An infectious dance-pop album that seems designed to chase away the January blues.
The album opens with Damn a bass-heavy dance number with chanted lyrics. As an opening track it’s bold, much more EDM than pop but it immediately cements the hedonistic fast-paced tone of the album. It’s followed by the debut single Free, a much more pop-centric track. It’s an upbeat dance number with an optimistic message that “the good shit in life is free’. The chorus is catchy and fun and a psychedelic bridge with imagery of “speaking’ and “glows” creating a flower power seventies feel. The second single Angel of Satisfaction combines angelic vocals with a pounding drumline. The production makes it feel reminiscent of 90s Europop, with blended vocals and spoken lyrics throughout.
Despite the European styling, the album is ultimately a love letter to London. This is clearest in Hackney Wick, whose spoken lyrics narrate Grey going for a night out in Hackney. The references to London tube stops, parks and street names make it feel personal, like an anecdote being told. The lyrics aren’t sung until the very end of the track when Grey begins blending in her own voice repeating “hackney wick” in the style of a tube announcer. Although the lyrics are occasionally a little wonky, “like aliens snogging in the clouds” stands out, the spoken style gives it an honesty that’s easy to like. The song presents an ideal version of London nightlife, a topic repeated in Party People. The song had a catchy repetitive hook as Grey sings “party people live and party people love”. The songs speak to her experiences working the door at long clubs while she worked to her music, giving it a personal feel to lift the more straightforward lyrics.
Among the fast paced dance pop, the penultimate track Everything Changes (I won’t) stands out with its slower more subdued tone. The song cuts through the most polished idea of the party girl life style as she sings “When the party stops being fun I have the patience to stay home when you come down from the drugs”. The song’s slower pace and heart wrenching lyrics allow Gray to show a vocal range in a way she hasn’t in previous tracks. While its more introspective tone lends a depth to the album as a whole. It acts as a powerful comedown, a revealing morning light after the late-night EDM preceding it,
Overall Louder Please is a very fun album. The tracks are catchy with fun production and Gray’s interesting choices such as the spoken lyrics on Hackney Wick and psychedelic production on Free keep the tracks feeling different and fresh. At the coldest time of year louder brings a taste of summer, and helps start 2025 off with a bang.