Album Review: Girl by Girl Ray

On their sophomore record 'Girl', Girl Ray sound like a keyboard is flowing in their veins instead of blood. Dripping synth notes and belting electronic tones paint the album with a rainbow glitterball brush, and it's a sound that works with the trio's evolution perfectly. When lead single 'Show Me More' was released at the end of July, the track was immediately infectious, an addictive slice of purebred pop.

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There was a time when any attempt by an indie band to "pivot to pop" would be viewed with deep suspicion and no small amount of cynicism. But since the advent of streaming services and social media music has become a far less tribal affair with people much more open and willing to embrace a wide variety of genres. There's also a case to be argued that its actually pop music rather than indie music that has been far more innovative and experimental over recent years.

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Despite referencing influence from sources such as Ariana Grande , which physically manifested itself in the form of a shrine dedicated to the "thank u, next" star, the trio's second record is largely indebted to the sun-kissed pop of acts like Haim and, at times, The Beach Boys . As on their debut, primary vocalist Poppy Hankin's vocals lead the way with a star performance. Her alluring deadpan delivery adds an understated playfulness to opener "Girl", evoking the electric naivety of young love with lyrics such as "I love the way you work that room so cool" and "Would you be my girl / You know you're my world".

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After Girl Ray finished touring behind their debut album, Earl Grey, the trio's leader Poppy Hankin tried crafting more lovely, sometimes haunting indie folk ballads that were like Sandy Denny fronting a classic Sarah Records band. It didn't come together; instead, after ingesting a steady diet of Ariana Grande and other R&B-friendly pop singers, she put down the guitar and got behind a keyboard and a computer screen. She and the rest of the trio got to work making music that paired their bewitching vocal harmonies with slick, slightly homemade-sounding pop for their sophomore album, Girl.

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I ndie bands have done R&B before - you will have heard of the xx. Now, with genre boundaries more porous than ever, swapping lo-fi pop for R&B shouldn't feel like an audacious act. This album does. One record ago, Girl Ray were a fresh-faced, lo-fi pop three-piece whose videos featured games of rounders.

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G irl Ray's 2017 debut album, Earl Grey, was a very particular kind of record: an indie album in a style that would have been completely familiar to someone tuning in to Radio 1 at 10pm on a Monday night in the mid-80s. Guitars jangled; there was sometimes a Velvetsy organ droning in the background. You could all but hear John Peel announcing there'd be three more from the band later on in the programme.

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