When It Clicks

You find her on MySpace at some point in the middle of the night, probably scrolling past noise, and something catches. That synth, that voice. British, young, self-taught on guitar. The profile says Hereford, which means nothing, but it doesn’t matter.

It happens fast when you hit at the right moment and the machinery engages. She’s 23 and suddenly everyone’s talking about her. Wrote folk songs in her room, got pulled toward electronic machines, found Vincent Frank online and thought yeah, London. Polydor came on board. Then she toured with Little Boots. Now the singles are stacking up—”Under the Sheets” already out, Starry Eyed coming in February, the album Lights in March, a UK tour right after.

There’s a speed to it that’s almost impersonal. The hype arrives before the work has time to settle.

The thing is, there’s actually something there. The synths are clean. Her voice sits in them without strain. She has that strange confidence of someone who’s been building toward this alone in a bedroom and then all of a sudden the world shows up. The British press loves a newcomer and they’ve decided this one’s it.

For now there’s just the music and the momentum. How long that lasts is anyone’s guess. But you can hear why it caught, why it’s catching, why everyone’s suddenly aware that there’s a blonde girl from Hereford making electronic pop that actually works.