Album Review: The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life by Debby Friday

Thankfully, the amusingly titled The Starrr of the Queen of Life lives up to the hype with style to spare, making her strongest bid yet for weekend rule. It's a sweaty, clubby effort that digs just deep enough into various underground styles (hello Detroit ghettotech phenoms HiTech) to lend it some authentic grit, and a production glow-up that matches FRIDAY's confidence better than anything on her debut. Australian producer Darcy Baylis is credited here, along with Graham Walsh (METZ) and Tayhana (Rosalía), and they've shown up with enough slapping beats and icy synths to fill a year's worth of plugin hunting.

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But for those attending the avant-pop turned rock singer's UK tour, sliding their way through the dense crowd with a pint in hand, Debby Friday's opening slot became the backdrop for an unexpected, indie sleaze tinted extravaganza. You might've thought you'd entered the wrong venue, although you'd be pleasantly surprised. At first glance, the Nigerian-Canadian musician's second album, The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life, certainly looks like a party.

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Track titles such as 'All I Wanna Do Is Party' and 'In The Club' paint a pretty solid picture of the driving beat that runs throughout underground electropop pioneer Debby Friday's second album. Yet, by taking inspiration from the beating heart of the city, there's a darker, luring undercurrent that sweats to the surface on the likes of the Anglo-French, talk-heavy 'Arcadia' and the distorted vocal-led 'Leave.' - two tracks that lean into both 'Ray of Light'-era Madonna and late pop pioneer SOPHIE. 'The Starrr…' has clearly been born of sweaty city nightclubs and subsequent comedowns, tying together dancefloor escapism and the shock of hurtling back to the real world.

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