"One track into West End Girl, Lily Allen's new tour de force of a divorce album, and I'm already hooked. Three tracks in, I'm messaging with several friends about it simultaneously, liveblogging my every thought and reaction to each searing lyric. Five tracks in, my jaw is on the floor and may never recover its former position. Who the f*** is Madeline indeed?!"
"Any album spilling this much supposed tea was always going to grab our attention (though Allen or, more likely, Allen's lawyers, have made very clear that the singer's marriage to and subsequent break-up with Stranger Things actor David Harbour merely serves as "inspiration" and that fact mingles with fiction throughout the 14 tracks). For whom among us can resist the lure of a celebrity scandal?"
One track into West End Girl, the listener becomes immediately hooked by the album's intensity. By three tracks, the music provokes live reactions, messaging, and detailed engagement with searing lyrics. By five tracks, shock and astonishment underline the emotional force of the songs. The album mixes supposed personal revelation and narrative invention, with snippets of real-life inspiration tied to a high-profile marriage and break-up. Legal disclaimers position the relationship as inspiration while acknowledging a blend of fact and fiction. The record leverages the irresistible appeal of celebrity scandal to command attention across its fourteen tracks.
Read at Independent
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