Hello Saferide
Would you let me play this EP ten times a day?
Razzia Records
Yes, Annika, I would. But you knew I was going to write that, didn't you? What can I say - I'm a sucker for hand claps. And smart, wry lyrics. And sparkling melodies. Which all feature in abundance on Hello Saferide's latest stellar effort. The opening track sees Annika quizzing a new beau, asking such important questions as 'Do you talk in the middle of Seinfeld? Have you slept with any people I work with?' In "Last bitter song", she promises, 'From now on, I'll write about flowers and butterflies/Chickens and kittens and shit' – before going on a brilliantly bitter tirade about some pretty boy and his new buxom bitch. 2006 delivers more of the straightforward pop we've come to expect from the Razzia Records darling, and track three, "The best night of your life", is a fantastically fun song about a crazy fancy dress party that makes me want to salsa meringue my way across the room in a penguin costume. The big surprise, however, comes with the final track, "Leaving you behind", for which the lovely girl-next-door is transformed into a sultry soulful crooner, singing a sad song about moving on. Oh Annika, I didn't know you had it in ya! Let it all out, sista! Again and again, ten times over.
- Stacey Shackford
