Little Boots Drops New Album

Victoria Christina Hesketh’s (aka Little Boots) boots were made for … working? Or at least that’s what the title of her third studio album, Working Girl, would imply. The English songstress may have taken a couple of cues from the Mother Monster, Lady Gaga, in her latest release, based on her similar synthetic, dance-pop-infused sound. Even the ambient sounds of a phone call in “Intro” bring back some memories from Gaga’s 2010 hit “Telephone.”

Before Working Girl’s July release, Little Boots gave listeners a taste of her new electro-pop tunes in her 2014 four-track EP, Business Pleasure, all of which appear on the new full-length album. “Taste It” channels the singer’s tweener-pop side when it comes to lyrics, as she compares her influence over a man to the effects of licorice, beckoning him to “Wake up and smell the saccharin.” Unfortunately for listeners, “Taste It” is more sing-song-y than seductive.

On the positive side, Little Boots proves she knows how to “Get Things Done,” one of the more upbeat tracks along with “Business Pleasure,” which both have solid bass lines. “Heroine” is another more hopeful track that shows off her soprano range and her ethereal, breathy vocals.

If Little Boots’ goal was to create an album with tracks that transition seamlessly into one another to keep listeners better focused on that day’s task list, she succeeded. Tunes like “No Pressure,” “The Game,” and “Better in the Morning” sound so similar to one another that one might be less prone to distraction by restarting any of the songs or look up lyrics to sing along to Working Girl.

Like its 2013 predecessor Nocturnes, Working Girl doesn’t stray too far from a 1980s-ish dance-pop Madonna influence — that’s a plus. However, the hypnotic yet repetitive nature of the album’s tracks may be better suited for a Forever 21 shopping trip than a motivational workday playlist.