Today Lily Allen releases her new album, ‘West End Girl’, her first in seven years. ‘West End Girl’ is a post-separation album, probably one of the most honest in memory. Allen, who in February separated from her still-husband, actor David Harbor (‘Stranger Things’), chronologically narrates the decline of her marriage, marked by infidelity and Harbour’s alleged “sex addiction.”
It is this circumstance that sets the tone for ‘Pussy Palace’, today’s Song of the Day. On an atmospheric base close to trip-hop, Allen vents his anguish upon discovering that his own home had been a “pleasure palace” behind his back. One of the most revealing verses on the album is found in this song:
«I found a shoebox full of handwritten letters,
of heartbroken women, wishing you had been better.
The sheets torn from the bed, the footboard on the floor,
long black hair, probably from the night before.
A Duane Reade bag with the handles tied,
sex toys, anal plugs, lube inside.
Hundreds of Trojan condoms. You’re so fucking broken.
How did I end up trapped in your double life?»
In the chorus, Allen expresses her surprise with characteristic sincerity: “I didn’t know this house had been a pleasure palace, I always thought it was a place of discipline, am I looking at a sex addict? What a low blow.”
Recorded in a matter of two weeks – in 16 days to be exact – ‘West End Girl’ does not seek the pop sophistication and nuances of ‘Alright, Still’ (2006), but opts for a more direct and immediate sound. The focus falls on the lyrics, which has led some to describe ‘West End Girl’ as the “British Lemonade.” Of course, they are sister albums in concept.
Allen, however, draws on various styles to tell the story, from doo-wop on ‘Sleepwalking’ to bossa on the title track. ‘Madeline’, the name of the third in contention, incorporates flamenco influences, which point directly to the album cover, a painting designed by the Andalusian Nieves González. Lily Allen’s classic sound, vaguely sprinkled with hip-hop, is present, for example, in cuts like ‘Dallas Major’ or the reggae ‘Nonmonogamummy’.
