Kylie Minogue
Kiss Me Once
2/5

Kylie Minogue’s 12th studio album, Kiss Me Once, sees her duly adhering to her tried and tested formula of mildly catchy but largely forgettable electro-pop; however that’s not to say it’s without its highlights.

‘Sexy Love’ definitely has the makings of a guilty-pleasure iPod tune, with its satisfying slap bass and cheery guitar chords. The distant yet relentless drums and breathy vocals of ‘If Only’ are a nod to the Florence and the Machine-esque epic ballad, and this is a similarly enjoyable track. ‘Fine’ sees her jumping on the 90’s-House-inspired bandwagon with reasonable success, a looped vocal sample and simple piano chords cushioning Kylie’s own heavily edited vocals.

However, her dallying with dubstep is not so welcomed. With its embarrassing work-out themed innuendos and weak attempt at what YouTube commenters might describe as a ‘gnarly’ bassline, ‘Sexercize’ sounds like a first attempt from a 15 year old bedroom-producer – a painfully misjudged track. Similarly, the bassline in the chorus of ‘Les Sex’ bears an uncomfortable resemblance to that of one of Skrillex’s many ear offenders.

The rest of the album is innocuously tepid. ‘I Was Gonna Cancel’, produced by man-of-the-minute Pharrell, is severely lacking in melody, while the title track is downright dull. The decision to duet with an artist as completely irrelevant as Enrique Iglesias was somewhat bizarre – he, unsurprisingly, adds nothing to this unnecessary ballad.

Still, it could have been worse; at least this is a pop album free of a guest rap from Pitbull.

Charlotte Bickley