Breakout single ‘Opening Doors’ was a pretty little spider’s web of tinkling, pizzicato synth sequences, soft, spongy bass dabs and layers of dewdrop honey vocals. It was hopeful, eager, bright and unfathomably breezy – the sound of someone leaping out of bed, ripping open the curtains and joining a jostling throng of merry woodland creatures in a chorus of eternal sunshine. But even those enjoying the fruits of fairytale endings seldom have the excuse of being this happy, much less those living in Derby, but against all odds, the leggy multi-instrumentalist Leni Ward serves us a slice of 80s retro as bright as her shocking blue tights, as sharp as her stilettos and as hooky as Velcro.
‘Hope’ charts Leni’s progress as she embarks on life after the failure of a seven-year relationship. The chattering analogue stripes of ‘I Want My Heart Back’ trades a stash of unwanted t-shirts, gifts and affections for a fresh start, whilst ‘Getaway Car’ provides the choppiest of escape routes. Fans of Bat for Lashes and erstwhile fabric softeners like Imogen Heap are likely to find little to offend them here as Leni churns out one gossamer pop pearl after another, but those who seek more bruises and more bloodied noses from their soundtracks to soured relationships may find ‘Hope’s unvarying soft centre a little flavourless at times; it’s not texture ‘Hope’ lacks, it’s bite.
‘Hope’ is released on November 15th.