Since her musical debut in 2006, Lily Allen has been offering unfiltered takes on sanitised mainstream pop, cementing her place as not only a pop icon but also a hallmark of the British cultural scene.
Her writing style is credited with influencing the latest generation of female songwriters (see: Olivia Rodrigo, Lola Young), as her once-radical honesty has become prevalent in a new style of diaristic pop.
Despite her decades in the industry, Allen only had four albums in her catalogue – this was until last week, with the release of her latest project, ‘West End Girl’. Announced only four days before its release and written and recorded in just under two weeks, the album’s conception and production is a clear departure from that of her previous works, but its sound is no less tight for this. If anything, ‘West End Girl’ is Allen at her best, as she totally unravels herself into the 14-piece tell-all in what we can only imagine as a series of cathartic studio sessions.
The album begins with its title track, which contextualises Allen’s situation by providing us with a snapshot of the beginning of the end of her last marriage. She sets the scene “we’re all here, we’ve moved to New York”, “found a nice little rental near a sweet little school”, “you’ve found us a brownstone, said “You want it? It’s yours””, seemingly depicting an idyllic marriage, her sweet vocal tone elevating the idea of serenity.
However, cracks slowly start to appear: “we went ahead and we bought it… I could never afford this / You were pushing it forward / Made me feel a bit awkward”. These deepen as she describes her ex’s reaction to her getting the lead role in a play, as she implies his jealousy (“your demeanour started to change”). From then on, she flies to London and the music cuts to her side of a phone call, assumed to be her reaction to her ex asking for an open relationship, to which she reluctantly agrees. This context provides the framework for understanding the rest of the album, as the rest of the album depicts her grief surrounding the situation, particularly when her boundaries were crossed.
Allen’s openness has always been a tabloid’s dream. This explains the mass media attention towards track five ‘Madeline’, where she very explicitly recalls her and her partner’s conditions for polyamory: “We had an arrangement”, “There had to be payment / It had to be with strangers”. But he violated these conditions, and in this track she seemingly names, addresses, and quotes the woman that he cheated on her with, “but you’re not a stranger, Madeline”. Allen’s unrelenting commitment to her very specific narrative is refreshing in an industry where new music is tailored for relatability, as songs battle for the much-revered position of TikTok trending audio.
This is not to say that the album is wholly unrelatable, as the emotions that underscore the tracks are binding. ‘West End Girl’ journeys through the multitude of feelings associated with infidelity, offering solace for a variety of listeners as she flicks from anger (‘4chan stan’), to despair (‘Just Enough’), to acceptance (‘Fruityloop’).
She employs a diverse sonic palette throughout the album, leaning into the experimental with touches of autotune and synthesiser to create a textured musical backdrop that mirrors the turbulence of her lyricism.
Overall, ‘West End Girl’ is a stellar addition to Allen’s catalogue. While this follow-up definitely wasn’t anticipated, Allen’s charm has always lay in her rejection of convention, as she’s trailblazed an alternative space in the mainstream since her arrival to the pop scene.
Zahra Hanif
Image: ‘West End Girl’ Official Album Cover
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