This self-titled debut album may well be the most out-and-out pop record I have written about on these pages this year but, as is so often the case with pop I love both new and old, it arrives from the hand of an artist with a broader range of musical reference in her armoury. Even the front cover points to a deconstructionist approach, with Hannah’s face printed, ripped up and re-assembled in a way that reflects the methodology of the music. And yet, still we have ended up with an album not just front but absolutely fully loaded with electro leaning, propulsive bangers. It is just that the option to listen deep is equally as valid as putting this on whilst doing the washing up. Take ‘Another Twilight,’ if you do not hear that pulsating disco intro and immediately think of Lipps Inc (other than you are probably a lot younger than me) be sure to go and check out ‘Funky Town’ next, but laced with the melancholia of a chorus that sings “it’s all over baby and I don’t mind, in decline, I take my time” this is actually the better track. ‘Replica’ is similarly poptastic, it reminds a little of Future Islands at their punchiest but for all the connections one might be inclined to draw, this music is watermarked with Hannah’s individualistic brush strokes. There is the ache of the personal too, with Lew referring to this track specifically in stating “when you have true love in your life it’s easier to name false love and this song is largely about recognizing a fraudulent love, heartbreaking as it is.”

Hannah Lew’s creative path has long threaded through some of the most distinctive corners of the American independent music world, first as a member of Grass Widow and later with Cold Beat, before arriving at a moment that feels wholly her own. Her new self‑titled album for Night School Records marks the first time she has stepped forward under her own name, embracing a vivid strain of pop that walks the line between depth and feel-good release. Written and shaped between her home in Richmond, California and sessions at The Best House in Oakland with Maryam Qudus, the record draws energy from a circle of West Coast collaborators who help bring its bright contours into focus. ‘Damaged Melody’ is a notable example of this, the way an initial conveyor belt of wide-open industrial electronics suddenly explodes with showers of falling space dust and urgent rhythm is sheer sonic splendour. The album opens with ‘Time Wasted’ and it is here where subtle echoes of her previous musical adventures can be heard. There is definitely an element of the post punk to the bass line that drives this pot boiler along but nevertheless, it is the expanding synth scape that dominates all the way.

Though echoes of her earlier projects remain, the album moves with a clarity of intention that signals a fresh chapter, foregrounding a vocal approach that highlights the emotional tension woven through her melodies. In fact, that unsettled stress is twisted into focus on ‘Move In Silence’ which mentions a war outside, just out of view. Hannah takes the metaphor further when talking about the track, saying that this is “a wartime album” which sadly, is literally true today. No wonder the follow up song, ‘Distance Of The Moon,’ seems to give rise to thoughts of escape into the stars. It heralds the arrival of the albums darkest detour, right at the close, where the rough textures of minor key guitars suddenly push to the forefront. She resists the opportunity to push distortion even further on closer ‘The Clock’ which has the structure of a Jesus And Mary Chain epic minus the feedback. This was indisputably the right choice, for although the songs balance buoyancy with unease, capturing a sense of wonder even as they reflect the fractured moment in which they were made, a pop aesthetic prevails throughout. With mastering by Sarah Register sharpening every detail, this collection presents Lew as an artist confidently carving out new territory while acknowledging the lineage that brought her here. More than that though, it is an album overflowing with potential for continued space explorations of a thrilling nature waiting for us in the future. What a great beginning.

Danny Neill

Get a vinyl copy of the album via this link: https://amzn.to/41QeTu9